POSSIBILITY ENGINE
by TempestDash
Summary: What if what IS and what COULD BE were one and the same? Kim is thrown into a maelstrom of possible realities and must rely on her wits, and a little help from some alternate versions of her friends, if she's ever going to find her way home.
1. Prologue: FICTION

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PROLOGUE: Fiction

---

Once upon a time, there was a girl named 'Fate.'

(No, wait... that's too cheesy.)

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Erinyes... who name was the same as a greek aspect of the Fates.

(Hrm... not much better. Better to lose the fairy tale aspect.)

Erinyes never thought much of her name, other than it made the endless target of teasing throughout school, until she became involved in an interdimensional, cross-planetary conflict that spanned the whole of time.

(Um, no.)

---

"What'cha doing, Ron?" asked Kim Possible as she entered Ron's bedroom, tossed her bag on the floor and plopped down casually on his bed. She noticed her boyfriend hutched over his computer (a cosmically old model that was probably carved when dinosaurs still roamed the earth) and quietly muttering to himself.

"Hey, KP," said Ron, finally leaning back and revealing a word processor on the screen. "Just doing some writing."

"Writing?" asked Kim, dubiously. Her eyes narrowed. "You haven't gotten involved in that tabloid again, have you?"

Ron threw up his hands defensively. "Woah! No way, KP. I'm out of the news reporting business."

"Then what's got you dusting off your writer's cap again?"

Ron looked to the side hesitantly. "Just... some... um, fiction," he admitted reluctantly.

"Fiction?" Kim was stunned. "I didn't know you wrote."

"Just a little bit," said Ron. "Here and there. More there than here, I guess."

"What about?" Kim inquired, smiling.

"Stuff," he evaded.

"You don't want to tell me?" asked Kim, reading Ron's body language. "Are you SURE you haven't started writing for the school paper again?"

"I'm SURE," emphasized Ron. "It's just... a little bit of ... fan fiction..." he swallowed the last two words so that he could barely hear them himself.

"A bit of what?" asked Kim.

"Fan fiction," repeated Ron, _slightly_ louder.

"What's fan fiction?" asked Kim. "Is that like... a story about fans?"

"You've never heard of fan fiction?" asked Ron, like she'd just said she'd never heard about the sun.

"Not really," said Kim. "But then again, I've never heard of half the stuff you talk about sometimes. Like that... Water... Food... Gimlet Team, was it?"

"It's Aqua Teen--" Ron started but then the Kimmunicator went off.

Kim pulled out the PDA-like device and tapped a button on the side. "What's the sitch, Wade?" she said.

"Kim! Shego and Drakken has just been spotted outside the Middleton Advanced Physics Simulator Facility!" Wade said.

"Drakken and the MAPS Facility?" said Kim. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"The Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer," reminded Ron, looking over Kim's shoulder at the Kimmunicator.

"Again?" said Kim. "I'm starting to get tired of that thing."

"You'd think a MacGuffin of that importance would earn better security," noted Ron.

"A what?" said Kim.

"A MacGuffin," said Ron. "You know, a plot element of vague description that isn't ultimately useful to the story but provides the motivation for principal characters."

"..." said Kim.

"I've been reading some books on fiction recently," said Ron shyly.

"The Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer is NOT of vague description," interrupted Wade. "We know exactly what it does."

"You may know," said Ron. "All that wonky science stuff just goes in one ear and out the other."

"Look, I'll explain it simply," said Wade, his image suddenly replaced by a schematic for a smallish, cylindrical device much like an oversized battery.

"Can you explain it while we go?" interrupted Kim. "Or are we just letting Drakken get away with the MacGyver?"

"MacGuffin," clarified Ron.

"Whatever," Kim rolled her eyes.

---

"Wow," said Ron as they arrived at the MAPS Facility and Wade finished his explanation. "Wait, how was the banana involved again?"

"We're here," said Kim, parking her Tweeb-built supercar and leaping out. She was desperate to escape from the insanity of Ron and Wade debating the various aspects of the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer. All that mattered was that Drakken was after it again and they had to stop them, right?

Ron and Kim swiftly approached the facility and spied through the glass doors to see a trio of security guards tied up by the security desk but nobody else in the lobby.

"Hey, they did give it more security," said Ron. "There are three guards now instead of two."

"Shh!" hushed Kim.

Stealthily, they crept into the lobby, nodded to the guards, and crept up to the main laboratory. Cracking open the door slightly, Kim peered in, getting the lay of the land. Two scientists were off to the right, by a large desk and some ... silvery technical equipment (Kim guessed), a large device had been set up in the center of the room with the purplish colored Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer sitting casually on top, but no sign of Drakken and Shego from her limited view.

"I can't see them," whispered Kim as she struggled to see more through the small crack.

"Uh, Kim," said Ron.

"Shh!" Kim shushed again. "They'll hear us."

"Uh, I don't think that's an issue," said Ron.

Kim turned slowly in time to see Shego standing behind her with an arm around Ron's neck and her green-energy shimmering hand held close to his face.

"Oh, boy," said Kim.

---

"Hah!" laughed Drakken as he paced in front of Kim, Ron, and the two scientists, all bound and gagged on the floor of the lab. "Kim Possible, you think you're all that! Hah! Well, as we can see--"

"Yeah, yeah," intoned Shego from across the lab. She was sitting up on one of the tables filing her claws. "But she's not," she finished for Drakken. "Do you realize how much time we could save if you just dropped the catch phrases and needless exposition?"

"Exposition?" said Drakken.

"You know," waved Shego casually. "The gloating, the describing our plan, the insistence on goading her into escaping and defeating your full-proof plan -- it doesn't do us any good."

"Neither does your nit-picking, Shego," grumbled Drakken.

"What was that?" called Shego, her hands suddenly glowing menacingly.

"Err-- nothing!" said Drakken, covering his thumbs for some reason.

"That's what I thought," nodded Shego before going back to her filing.

Kim made several grunting noises to Ron which translated to, _Do you have any slack in the binds on your wrists?_

_I agree, though they've used very soft ropes this time_, Ron nodded.

_What?_ grunted Kim. _Can you get free or not?_

_Who, now?_ asked Ron. _Was that grunt meaning 'free' or grunt meaning 'rutabaga'?_

_Oh good god,_ sighed Kim.

_I wonder what that big thingy the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer is connected to is?_ asked Ron.

Kim had stopped listening to Ron. One of the scientists spoke up, _It's a charged particle focusing device._

_What now?_ Ron grunted.

_Makes the Inducer more powerful, _clarified the other scientist.

_Oh, sure, he understands you two_, grunted Kim.

_To do what?_ asked Ron.

"What ARE you guys doing?" Shego said, having apparently come up to them during the conversation.

_Nothing_, grunted Ron.

"Huh?" said Shego.

_Nothing, really,_ clarified Ron.

"..."

_You asked_, said Ron.

"Shego! Come here and help me!" demanded Drakken as he tinkered with the large device in the center of the room.

"Hey!" Shego snapped as she turned to face him. "What did we talk about?"

"Um, please?" said Drakken timidly.

"That's right," nodded Shego as she approached.

"I need you to connect this cable to that resonator over there," Drakken pointed across the lab. "Then direct the dish back towards the Focuser." He hesitated. "Please?"

Shego nodded and walked off with the cable.

_He's going to cause an overload!_ grunted the first scientist loudly.

_An overload?! _asked Kim.

_The energy from the Inducer will feed back into itself,_ explained the second scientist. _The resultant loop will cause a tear in the very fabric of our universe!_

Kim looked at the scientist with horror. _What happens then?_

_I don't know,_ admitted the scientist. _But it could destroy all of reality! Returning the universe to the null state!_

_Null? _asked Ron.

_It's like zero,_ explained the first scientist.

"Enough!" yelled Shego suddenly and ran over and picked Kim up by the neck.

"Urpk!" gulped Kim though the gag.

"Your stupid grunting is driving me insane," scowled Shego as she ripped the gag away from Kim's mouth then tossed her on the floor.

Kim coughed violently several times before looking up with frown. "Drakken is going to destroy the universe with that thing!" she yelled.

"Hah!" called Drakken from the device. "Shows how much YOU know."

"These scientists are experts," said Kim. "They know what they're talking about!"

"They may know the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer," said Drakken, bending down behind the device to pick up something. When he stood upright again he was holding a battered box covered with cracks and being held together with masking tape. A small green screen on it flickered chaotically as it whirred and buzzed faintly. "But I know a little something about the fragile boundaries of the universe."

"Is that...?" started Kim.

"Yes," nodded Drakken. "When we got trapped in those TV universes I realized that each channel had been a complete and sustainable reality. That meant that either the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer create over a hundred universes based on information from the cable box -- _highly_ unlikely due to the energy requirements -- or they were already there to begin with."

"What do you mean 'they were already there?'" said Kim. "There just HAPPENED to be another dimension that was exactly like 'Pals?'"

"Yes," Drakken said with grandeur, his eyes wide. "In fact, there's a dimension out there that corresponds with every TV show, movie, book, novel, short story, or general IDEA that has ever been."

"That's impossible," said Kim. "That would mean there were billions upon billions of dimensions!"

"Why couldn't there be?" said Drakken. "And just like changing a channel on a TV set, each dimension exists completely independent of every other one."

_What about owned networks and syndication?_ said Ron.

"Wha?" asked Drakken, confused. He stormed over and pulled off Ron's gag.

"Bleh," spat Ron at the rope-like taste in his mouth. "There are networks that own other networks though. Those companies direct programming on lots of channels. So they're not really independent."

"Oh, yes," nodded Drakken walking casually back towards the device. "But then again, once I'm done here, neither will the dimensions." He patted his fragile box and pulled it forcefully into the large device in the center of the room. Immediately it began to whir and the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer started glowing. "Power up," he said with a grin.

"Please, Drakken," dismissed Kim. "You can't manage to take over this dimension, what makes you think you'll be able to take over several others?"

"You don't understand," said Drakken. "I don't need to. If I can imagine a dimension where I've taken over the world, then it already exists out there, in the many dimensions." He put his hand on the box and pushed a button. "I just need to find it. Then, using my Pan Dimensional Drill," he motioned towards the Focuser in the center of the room and then up at the Resonator across the lab, "I'll cause a breach in that dimension back into this one. My dimension can invade and, as long as I my Remote here, I can assure you, the odds will be heavily in my favor." He started to chuckle which then broke into a cackle, then a full on maniacal laugh that echoed in the lab.

A sudden noise interrupted Drakken's laugh and he stared back at his 'Drill.' "Shego, did you connect the Resonator properly?"

"Yes, Dr. Drakken," Shego said, annoyed.

"And pointed the dish correctly?"

"Yes."

"Hmm," Drakken scratched his chin. "Why is the energy bubble forming unbalanced?

"Is that bad?" asked Shego, a brow raised.

"Err... maybe?" said Drakken nervously. "Without a properly balanced energy bubble, the Drill is going to be more like... err..."

"Like WHAT?" demanded Shego.

"A ... shotgun," Drakken said under his breath.

"A WHAT?!" yelled Shego.

"I--I can fix it!" announced Drakken suddenly and started punching buttons on his Remote.

"Just shut it down!" said Shego.

"I ... uh, can't? Once the energy starts forming it has to be expelled or it'll explode."

Shego grabbed Drakken by the collar roughly and pulled him so they looked eye to eye. "FIX. IT. NOW."

"I'm trying," whimpered Drakken. Shego dropped him unceremoniously and stalked over towards the scientists.

"Can you help?" she said forcefully. They nodded quickly. She sighed and clawed at their ropes, freeing them. "Then help," she said putting her head to her head.

"Hey!"

Shego turned around to see Kim looking at her. "What about us?" She motioned with her head towards her ropes.

"What? You suddenly a scientist?" asked Shego.

"Um, no," said Kim.

"Then stay that way," Shego said, then turned away. "How much time we have Dr. D?"

"Oh, at least twenty or thirty seconds!" Drakken said positively.

"Twenty or thirty!?" Shego eyes bugged out. "If we survive this Drakken, I swear to you--"

"Oh, here's your problem," said one of the scientists looking at the cable going from the Focuses to the Resonator. "You've got your electron connector on the wrong side of the capacitors. That's why the energy flow control isn't working, it's just being cycled in the capacitors and not discharging." The scientist reached down, unplugged the cable to the Resonator and jabbed it into another port on side of the device.

"Wait!" yelled the other scientist. "If you attach it now, it'll all discharge at--"

And then reality unravelled.


	2. Part 1: DRAKKAMERICA

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PART I: Drakkamerica

-----

Kim shook the cobwebs from her head... literally. As she focused on her environment she noticed she was lying in a pile of rubble from the collapse of the ceiling of the MAPS Facility except... it looked like it had fallen in years ago. Dust and spider webs hug across the remains of the laboratory giving everything a dull gray color.

Pushing off the layer of rubble on her, she carefully climbed down to the ground and stood where, moments ago, the Pan Dimensional Drill sat, glowing with energy. Now there was no sign of any of it, just a pile of rocks and twisted metal, and the smell of dust in the air.

"Ron?" asked Kim, looking around. "Ron!" She called louder.

After several minutes of looking she concluded he wasn't here and wondered, faintly, where, exactly, she was. She was surprised to have survived the explosion with hardly a scratch on her, but looking at the state of the facility, she wondered if she was even still in her home dimension or time.

Pulling out the Kimmunicator, she punched the call button to see if, wherever she was, Wade was around. The call returned nothing but static and Kim sighed.

Pocketing the device, she headed out of the remains of the building into the street. The place looked deserted. It was probably late afternoon or early evening but there was no rush hour traffic, no cars at all really, and no people. Trash lined the streets by the curb and old papers blew across the sidewalks in the breeze. Kim looked down the street towards the center of town and gasped.

Soaring over the city were dozens of robots or drones of some sort, buzzing distantly with spotlights and long metal arms. Squinting, Kim could make out a few of the drones holding struggling people, taking them towards a tall tower that she didn't recognize.

"Okay, I've definitely been sent to another dimension," she said.

Looking at the other buildings in the city, Kim was surprised see so many of them completely dark, as if abandoned or covered in a shroud. She wondered if something had happened to the people in this dimension, or if robots ruled the city or something. Either way she'd have to be careful until she... until she...

What was she going to do? Without Drakken's Drill she couldn't get back the way she came, and with no Wade, she wondered if there was anyone in this dimension with the ability to send her back. She wondered idly if there was another version of herself here, running around, causing trouble for whoever it was who reduced the city to this desolate state. Kim knew that if it was her, she would be, and resigned herself to finding out for sure. In the very least, the Kim from this dimension might be able to get her in touch with Wade.

Turning away from downtown, Kim started walking towards the suburbs.

---

The sun had set long before Kim reached her house... or rather what used to be her house. She recognized the improvements her father had made over the years she'd lived here in her own dimension, but for some reason, it was dark, abandoned. The front door had fallen in and most of the windows were shattered.

Kim stalked silently through her home and noted the remaining pictures on the walls: the pictures of her as a baby, the tweebs, some high school pictures, the photo of her with her Uncle and Joss on the ranch.

Then, Kim saw the next set of pictures. There were pictures of her parents and the Tweebs, getting older, probably progressing through high school. Beside them were pictures of her Nana and a few more of Joss as a very stunning teen. She had to be in the future for these pictures to exist, she concluded.

But then, there were no more pictures of Kim herself. After early high school Kim didn't show up at all. If this was the future, then it was a future where Kim stopped being involved in her family. Or worse, died. Kim shivered at the thought, and was only consoled by the fact that several other pictures she knew 'should' be on the wall, weren't. Like her photo with Ron at the junior prom, which proved, at least to her, that it wasn't her OWN future she was witnessing, but an alternate one.

Still, she couldn't help feel regret for her family in this world. It was possible that her counterpart's disappearance led to this dystopia. If that was true...

She considered her options. She was trapped in an alternate dimension with no current means of getting home. If she found anyone who could help it would be sheer chance, and if anyone was going to come looking for her, that would be up to chance as well. Either way, she was looking at spending some serious time here in this dimension.

And if she had to be here anyway, she thought, she might as well see what she could do to help.

Nodding to herself, she ran upstairs to her room to see if there were any of Wade's gadgets still lying around to equip herself with. She found an old (but still functional) grapple, a trusty lipstick laser, and some knockout gas. Stepping into the garage revealed her father's old car, still un-supercharged by the Tweebs, but nothing else. Kim took that to mean her parents didn't abandon the house, just relocated in a hurry, which relieved her.

Walking back onto the street she looked out at the now distant city, eyeing the dark tower now lit by spotlights in the center. If there was any explanation as to what happened here, she figured she'd find it there.

---

Shego stirred once and then opened her eyes slowly, feeling the dull ache that had invaded her dreams slowly ebb away and reality assert itself. The ache, however, was replaced by a strange pinching sensation on her skin around her arms and legs. She looked around slowly, trying to figure out where she was while her blurry memories realigned.

"Ah, finally awake," a distinctively raspy voice said. The sounds of heavy footfalls grew closer and Shego turned to face the voice.

"Oh, don't bother to get up, oh, Supreme One," said the voice as Shego tried to move her arms only to discover them tied to the table she was on. She blinked several times and her vision cleared.

"Wha?" she said, pulling against her restraints. "What the hell are you doing, Drakken?" She stared at him. He looked like a blue version of the hulk with a terrible crew-cut. Somehow he'd put on about a hundred pounds of pure muscle since she'd passed out in the lab. "And when did you get so buff?"

Drakken immediately scowled and picked up a silver remote with four buttons on it. He punched the far left one and Shego's mind exploded in pain. It was completely behind her ability to describe and it scrambled every thought she had and left only a searing ache where once cognitive thought had been. She gasped heavily when it passed and immediately began dry heaving.

"Your sarcasm will no longer be tolerated, _Shego_," said Drakken with venom. "Years of being your lackey have made it perfectly clear to me that I was all too kind to you back in the day. I actually respected your wish not to be cloned, and... err... somewhat honored your distaste for mind control. But NO MORE! I won't stand for it." He looked over his shoulder at someplace that Shego couldn't see. "_We_ won't stand for it."

Shego strained her neck to see who he was referring to, but it was unnecessary. The shadows stepped into the light around the table she was lying on and she could Monkey Fist and Duff Killigan -- or rather, strange, bizzaro-world versions of them. Monkey Fist looked much older, which wasn't too odd, but Duff Killigan had become a robot of some sort with only his head remaining human. Shego felt the heaves come back at her as she considered the sick perversion.

"I don't know what happened," said Shego. "But I think you have me confused with someone else."

"Aye, we know we do," said Duff, his voice unchanged despite his cranial transplant.

"Our Shego is much older than you," said Monkey Fist, cracking his knuckles.

"And doesn't have an off the chart reading of void particles," noted Dr. Drakken. "But, our Shego was knocked off."

"And we still have a lot of pent up frustration over ye," said Duff.

"Hey, guys," Shego laughed nervously. "That's a good joke. Now, how about letting me off here and explaining that bit about 'void particles?'"

Drakken leaned forward until their noses were nearly touching. "We're not laughing," he said slowly.

"I noticed," Shego said softly.

"Ergo, we were not joking," Drakken continued.

"That's not fair, whatever your Shego did, its not my fault!"

"And we already explained to you that we don't care. You are close enough." Drakken deliberately pronounced the last two words with finality.

"But...but..." gibbered Shego until Drakken leaned back and held up the silver remote again. She turned deadly quiet. Then he held out the remote towards Killigan and Monty.

"Gentlemen," Drakken said. "I've already had the honor."

"Allow me," Monkey Fist said, stepping forward. He held out his furry hand, extended a single finger, then jabbed the leftmost button once.

---

Downtown was much more lively than the extremities of the city where Kim had first landed. There were people everywhere, marking in rows to an unheard beat, and all dressed like Shego.

"Drakken," Kim concluded angrily. She remembered having that awful mind-control chip put on her and then stuffed into a uniform just like the ones now marching past. "I should have guessed. Who else would have taken advantage of my absence?"

Kim wasn't sure how people would react to her, let alone the drones in the sky, so she kept herself as hidden as possible. Her mostly dark outfit made that easier, and the fact that nearly half of the city seamed to have no power, made it almost simple. That is, until the drone patrol flew down the alleys with incredible speed and Kim was forced to jump through a pane glass window just to avoid getting spotted.

Kim kept herself a quiet as possible, hiding beneath the window frame, until she heard the low hum of the drone team fly past, then yelped in pain. She could feel the cuts along her leg where the jagged glass had gotten too close and tightly gripped the opened flesh to stem the bleeding. Tearing off one of her sleeves, she wrapped it around her thigh and tied it tight.

Sweeping the room with her eyes, Kim noticed she'd jumped into the lobby of an abandoned office building. A long since dried up fountain sat in the middle of the large area, with several very long desks and glass walls separating offices which had long since cracked and shattered. Kim had seen several banks with a similar setup and surmised that the long desks were once occupied by tellers.

Kim stood up and staggered over behind the desks, looking for a break or staff area. Typically businesses provided a simple first aid kit in the bathrooms of such areas and Kim was hoping this bank would be no different. As she moved around behind the rows of desks, she noticed a large vault, confirming her suspicions about it being a bank. A second glance confirmed that it was slightly ajar and a very dim light was coming from it.

Curious, Kim limped over and slowly peeked inside.

As soon as she could see through the opening, something immediately rushed towards the door, slamming against it and, in turn, slamming it into Kim who flew backwards and onto the ground.

"AAUUGG," Kim screamed as she landed on her leg, feeling the wound twist and tear beneath her makeshift tourniquet. A figure covered in a black cloak then rushed out and quickly stepped over Kim to head towards the door.

"Wait!" Kim called out. "I don't want to hurt you!"

The cloaked figure hesitated by the door and turned quickly around to look back. Kim could hardly make out any features as the light from outside turned the figure into a silhouette. She struggled to get to her feet but decided against walking, instead leaning against the wall.

"My name's Kim Possible," she said. "I'm not with Dr. Drakken, I was just wondering who was in there." She looked sympathetically towards the figure but couldn't help from wincing once or twice as her leg throbbed.

"Kim?" said the figure in a soft, masculine voice. There was almost familiarity in the way he said her name.

"Yes," nodded Kim. "Do we know each other?" she asked. She immediately realized that there could be any number of people familiar with Kim's alternate self that she was not. She tried to think how to play it off if this guy turned out to be someone who she knew very well.

"I would say so," chuckled the man as he walked forward. As he neared the silhouette effect was reduced and Kim could see more of his tall, athletic frame, closely cut beard, kind eyes, and finally his facial features that reminded her a lot of--

"Josh!" Kim yelled out, excitedly. She ignored the pain in her legs and rushed towards him, relieved to see a familiar face for once. She hugged him tightly for a moment to which he awkwardly held her in return.

"Wow, do you greet everyone you haven't talked to since high school like this?" asked Josh, with a smirk.

Kim looked kindly at him. "I'm sorry, I'm just so glad to see someone I know here."

"I can see that," noted Josh. "Where have you been these last twenty years?"

Twenty years. The words echoed in her mind. In this world she's been gone for twenty years. She realized that was why Josh was acting awkwardly around here. They'd spent more years apart than they'd been alive when she'd last seen him.

"It's a long story," said Kim. "What happened here? When did Drakken take over the city?"

"Drakken?" asked Josh, confused. "He's in charge, he's the Supreme One's lieutenant."

"The Supreme One?" asked Kim.

"Yeah, you know, long dark hair, wears a lot of green," Josh motioned with his hand. "Green fire from her fingertips?"

"Shego!" said Kim.

"Er... guess so," said Josh. He looked to the side and frowned for a few seconds then brightened. "Yeah! Yeah, that's what she used to call herself."

"So she's been here for a long time?" asked Kim.

"Pretty long," he said. He looked down at Kim's leg. "Do you need some help there? I've got some bandages in the vault."

Kim looked at her leg and nodded. Josh motioned towards the large metal room and helped Kim limp back over there.

---

Shego tried to remember how many times she'd had to put her brain back together recently but couldn't. She needed more time to recover before she could doing such complicated things like counting. To pass the time she stared at the ceiling and ... pretty much just stared at the ceiling.

She heard mumbling in the distance and tried to listen in. After a few moments she realized that her ears felt heavy, like they were stuffed full of something. She tried reaching up to them and was shocked to find her hands were free. She couldn't remember why her hands were ever bound, it seemed like she had been bound forever, but was happy they were free.

Reaching up to touch her ears she felt something warm and wet and squishy. Bringing her hand in front of her eyes she saw that something red was on them and running down the side of her hand. It was thick like blood, and red like blood, and slowly coagulating like blood tended to do after being exposed to air. In fact, everything about the stuff was exactly like blood would be.

She concluded that it must be blood.

It was coming out of her ears, though. Shego was pretty sure that meant something. Blood and ears. Blood _out_ of ears. It couldn't be good. She was sure blood was supposed to remain inside, and if it was coming out, then something bad had happened. She thought about bad things that would cause her blood to come out of her ears, but couldn't think of anything.

The voices came back and Shego wanted to listen, as it was more interesting than the ceiling, but it was still muffled. She put her hand back up to hear ear and tried to move the blood-like-stuff out of the way. It dripped to the side and onto whatever she was lying on but then suddenly she could hear better and she felt cool air worm its way into her ears bringing with it the sounds from the hall.

"--too many times, you idiots!"

"'Tis not my fault! The funky monkey here got outta hand."

"It's just so pleasant to hear her scream, surely you think so too. The only problem is she stopped after a while."

"Her lungs were filling up with fluid! She couldn't scream because was drowning!"

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"You're lucky those medical drones still work right or she'd be dead just like the last one."

"Speaking of which, lads, we do have other problems to worry about. We managed to subdue the Possible boys but their leader and the ninja got away."

"They placed all their hope that when Stoppable and Possible from the past destroyed the Tempus Simian idol it would undo all that had happened in the last twenty years."

"Hah, just shows what they know time travel! You can't flip a switch and undo all of history."

"Aye, apparently, but I do wonder what happened to those wee kids from the past. THEY certainly vanished after destroying the idol."

"They caused an unbalanced paradox, and, naturally, were annihilated from the timestream."

"Why didn't WE cause a paradox then when we were in the past?"

"Err... because we caused a predestination paradox."

"What's the difference?"

"Well, in one you get annihilated from the timeline and the other you dont... and other stuff."

"That is about as useful as Shego is right now."

"Speaking of which, go check on how she's doing, Duff."

"Aye, my pleasure."

"But don't use the collar! It might kill her."

"Aye, aye, I get it already."

Shego then heard the sounds of whirring and then the loud clang of metal which seemed to echo in the room she was in, attacking her from all sides. She clutched her skull in pain from the sound which triggered memories of the terrible torture she'd just gone through and screamed in terror until she ran out of breath.

---

Kim tried out her leg, still feeling the slight throb of pain, but it was much better than before. She nodded with a smile to Josh who was packing away the first aid supplies.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," he nodded. "So, what's your plan now?"

"I'm not sure," said Kim, moving to the edge of the vault and peering out across the lobby at the street beyond. "Maybe try to find this resistance movement you talked about. It sounds like Wade's kind of setup. I'd probably do the most good there."

"That might be hard, the Supreme One has been looking for ages," said Josh.

"Yeah, but they don't want to be found by her," said Kim. "If I go out there and announce my presence, I'm sure they'll come looking for me."

"Assuming they don't think you're a fake and that the Supreme One is trying to lure them out."

"Good point," nodded Kim. "I'd have to do something then to convince them I'm legitimate." She furrowed her brow. "Something to convince them I'm not aligned with Shego."

"You could get captured," suggested Josh with a laugh.

Kim looked back at him surprised, then she nodded slowly. "No, actually that's a good idea. I might even get face to face with Shego too."

"Woah," Josh stood and closed the distance between them. "I was kidding. The Supreme One has a terrible reputation when it comes to resistance members. I doubt she'd view you as any better."

"No," Kim shook her head. "If this Shego is the same as the one in my ... er, as I remember, then she'll want to gloat. And she'll want to do it in person." She folded her arms and nodded with determination. "And that'll put me right in the perfect spot to get her."

Josh frowned and put his arms on Kim's shoulders. "It's dangerous," he said softly. "Others have tried to get close to the Supreme One before and... are never heard from again."

"Don't worry," Kim smiled warmly. "I'll be okay. I'm a Possible, I can do anything." She turned out of his grip and started picking up the supplies she'd dropped earlier.

"Kim," insisted Josh. "Please... don't do this."

Kim looked up, confused. "Why?"

"You're ..." he trailed off and looked away.

"What is it, Josh?"

"You're -- you're the first person I've be able to talk to normally in several years. The only person who doesn't seem like their will has been crushed by the Supreme One." He looked up. "You even seem... somewhat happy. You can't leave now or I'll..."

Kim smiled again, but sadly as she walked over to him and put a hand to his face. "I have to do this," she said quietly. "This is who I am."

Josh's face suddenly steeled. "Where did you go twenty years ago?"

"I can't answer that, you wouldn't understand."

"Try me," insisted Josh.

"It involves time travel."

"Err..." blinked Josh. "What travel?"

Kim laughed. "Don't worry, I won't leave this time without making everything better."

"I'm more worried you'll end up-" he hesitated and then dropped it entirely. He looked somewhat distant then said whimsically, "Twenty years is an awful long time to stand someone up for a date."

Kim stared. "I... was still dating you when I vanished," she said finally.

"Still?"

"Nevermind," said Kim. "None of it matters anymore. Just, keep yourself safe, please."

Josh nodded. "You too."

Kim and Josh looked at each other for several long moments before Kim turned and walked out of the vault.

---

It was dawn by the time Shego could remember what had happened. The fragmented pieces of her mind finally snapped together and started to heal but the memory -- oh, the awful memory -- lingered on like Death itself was stalking her. The shivering got a little better, but her frayed nerves snapped at every sound she heard and moving shadow she saw.

Each second wore on like a year as she sat and thought about what she'd managed to figure out last night. This was apparently the future, a future she herself -- Shego of this world -- had wrought with her own hands, where her once idiotic villainous contemporaries had turned into desperate savages though decades of physical and verbal abuse. Apparently something had happened and her counterpart died leaving a power vacuum that the 'new' Drakken easily stole, initiating his own reign of terror.

She had not seen much of the world outside of this tower, but the glimpses she caught through the windows of her towering prison told her all she needed to know: more than Drakken had been demented by the other Shego's actions. The city looked dark and dilapidated and thick smog circled the tallest buildings and this tower giving everything a yellowish brown hue.

She wished she could not believe it. And, in her mind, she knew that this was an alternate universe, where, as Drakken said, as long as someone could imagine it, it could happen. But the more she looked at this twisted world, the more she saw reflections of herself.

There had been days when Shego had wanted things like this. Dark, terrible days when, if she'd had the power, she could have thrust the world into darkness and terror. Her rage, she knew quite well, was not beyond the sort of savagery inflicted upon Drakken and Killigan. So long had she allowed herself to play with fantasies of world domination and destruction, safely -- she knew in her heart -- because Drakken could never fulfil them; safe because she would never have the ability to make them real.

But here, in this alternate reality, she had.

And, if Drakken's explanation of the universe was true, then every time she'd imagine that crime ruled dystopia, somewhere in another dimension it was happening and an entire planet of people was suffering through it.

Shego trembled uncontrollably.

She raised a shaking hand to her throat and felt the metal collar there, the source of her unending torment last night. Yes, she deserved this. She deserved all of what was happening to her. There could never be enough punishment for the atrocities she'd committed across what could be dozens if not hundreds of dimensions.

Shego considered the possibility that she had not survived the explosion at the MAPS Facility at all. She was not a religious person at all, but she knew all the most publicized elements and this, all of this, could be hell. Her own, personal hell, for all the evils she'd committed knowing and with satisfaction. Yes, that had to be it. This was hell. It had nothing to do with fire and brimstone, or little demons with forked tails and tongues, and there was no pealing of skin and breaking of bone. It was all about her little daydreams and decisions coming back to bite in the ass, over and over again.

The rough sound of metal scraping against rusted metal felt like a rasp against Shego's brain and she curled immediately into a ball to try and block it out without success. It was immediately followed by that terrifying buzz Killigan's trashcan-like body made when moving and Shego began to shake violently. For all her resignation to her fate, for as much as she realized she deserved punishment, she couldn't help herself at all. She was terrified. From the top of her scalp to the tips of her toes she couldn't control the debilitating fear that wracked her body at all. Her skin felt like it was shimmering across her body and she clawed uselessly at her arms to make it stop.

"Shego," the metal beast announced.

"Yeeeahhgggffnnnnn..." sputtered Shego, unable to make her tongue move to form words. She rolled widely away from Killigan and cowered in the opposite corner of the room.

"Enough of that now," said Killigan. "Drakken has something he wants you to see."

"No... more..." whimpered Shego.

"Get on your feet lass or there will be pain to be had," ordered Killigan. He pulled out the silver remote for emphasis.

At the first sight of the device, Shego shrieked and tried to push herself further into the corner.

Killigan sighed dramatically, then opened a panel on his body and tossed the remote in. "Look? See, now? All gone." He rumbled forward and extended his arms to snake around the quivering body of Shego and gently lifted her.

"Come on, now," he said in a bored manner, then cradled her against his steel chest and wheeled his way out of the cell.

---

Kim kneeled defiantly before the stone dais that this incredibly muscle-bound Drakken stood on. She had been caught (as planned) and was bound by several sturdy metal rings across her chest that kept her arms pinned to her sides but left her legs free. Drakken, on the other hand, was smiling widely, looking as if he'd just found his golden ticket, and occasionally chuckling to himself. Kim said nothing as she tried to figure out the new situation.

It was clear when Kim was brought before Drakken that the information Josh had given her was now out of date. Shego, though many signs of her reign remained, was being systematically erased from the building and replaced with a simple triangular symbol with the letters 'D', 'M', and 'K' at each of the points. The letter 'D' was at the top of the symbol. Clearly there had been some sort of coup d'etat and Drakken was now in charge. But as to why and how, Kim was still in the dark. And she was a little unnerved that when she asked about Shego, Drakken started cackling like a madman. Well, more of a madman than usual.

"I'm a little curious where you went, of course," Drakken suddenly said, breaking the silence. Nearby, Monkey Fist was sitting in lotus position, apparently meditating, but he opened one eye to watch what was going on.

"It's complicated," said Kim, sticking to what she'd initially said to Josh.

"When you vanished like that, I suspected you'd died from the backlash," Drakken continued. "But here you are, alive and well."

Kim's mouth dropped. "What... what do you mean, vanished?" Was he talking about the Pan Dimensional Drill? If so, did that mean this was the Drakken from her universe?

"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'?" said Drakken, irritated. "What do you think I meant when I said vanished. You were there, then in a burst of energy you were gone!"

"Gone...?" Kim repeated, almost in trance. If this was her Drakken, why was he so old? Did he get sent here from the MAPS Facility only years earlier? Does that make sense? The only other explanation is that this really is the future and not some parallel dimen-- NO! No, she proved that it wasn't her timeline. The pictures at home and... and... Josh! He thought she had vanished back when they were dating, when she was a sophomore.

Then again, Kim thought with dread, it's always possible that some of the pictures broke or were taken down. And she didn't actually let Josh answer her when she implied she'd vanished when they were dating. What if... what if...

Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod--

"Hellooo?" Drakken crooned while looking at Kim. "Am I talking to myself?"

Kim suddenly snapped back to focus and looked up at Drakken with a mixture of horror and dread.

"Wow," said Drakken. "Usually I have to torture someone a bit before they look at me like that."

"Why--" Kim struggled for a question to confirm her fears. Something that wouldn't give away the truth if it turned out this WAS an alternate dimension. "Why aren't you asking about my age?" said Kim. "Surely that intrigues you more." It should, she thought, if this is an alternate dimension and you last saw me twenty years ago.

"Why?" asked Drakken, puzzled. "You're the same age as I saw you last, aren't you?"

Kim whimpered. That means... wait, no there could be other reasons why--

"Drakken," came a voice from across the room and Kim was broken from her thoughts in time to see... what _looked_ like the head of Duff Killigan attached to the body of R2-D2. He -- it? -- was carrying a shaking Shego in his arms. "We have a problem."

"What is it?" said Drakken, looking annoyed.

Killigan wheeled over and set down at the woman in his metal arms. "She's a mess," he said. "I think we broke her."

"If anyone 'broke' her it was Fiske," snarled Drakken.

"I don't remember anyone saying there were any limits to the collar," said Monkey Fist, standing. "Besides, you two went at it again even AFTER I nearly killed her, so you're just as much to blame."

"S-Shego?" said Kim, looking in shock at the trembling body of her once nemesis lying before her. She had come here expecting to face Shego as the arrogant, scheming villainess she'd always been, but had discovered in a short period of time that Drakken was the one in charge now, and Shego had been reduced to...

Hang on a second, Kim stopped herself. Shego looked way too young compared to Drakken and Monkey Fist. She looked more like she did just yesterday when Kim confronted her at the MAPS Facility. Wouldn't that mean she travelled in time like Kim, then?

But no, Josh clearly said Shego had been in charge for years, two decades even. She couldn't have been sent through time AND been around for the last twenty years causing all this trouble. Unless Shego'd stumbled upon some miracle youth makeup that held up even under torture, this was NOT the same Shego who made this world.

Which meant she was a Shego from a different world. Which meant she was probably the Shego from HER world; ergo THIS world was not HER world.

"We'll just use a brain wipe to make her forget the pain," said Drakken.

"Aye, and she'll forget everything else too," said Killigan.

"Does it really matter?" said Drakken. "She's not our Shego anyway."

"It's not the same if she's not surly and defiant," said Killigan. "Doesn't give the same satisfaction."

"You're really messed up," noted Monkey Fist.

"Said the guy who nearly stir fried her brain," reminded Drakken.

As the trio argued, Kim moved closer to Shego and bent closer to her. "Shego?" she said softly, but the shaking form refused to even open her eyes. "Shego? It's me, Kim." Still nothing. "The Kim from your dimension."

Shego continued to shake but one of her eyes opened just a tad.

"Can you see me?" asked Kim. She wasn't sure what had happened to her, or what the extent of her injuries were just by looking. Shego appeared quite dirty and there were tears in her jumpsuit on her arms, however, no rips or cuts from an attack or torture were visible. Kim wondered if she was stripped naked before they did... whatever it was they did to her.

Shego's eyes opened slightly wider as she looked at Kim, staring deep into the heroine's eyes. "Ruunnnn," Shego suddenly implored with a whispering, raspy voice.

Kim shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving you. What did they do?"

Shego suddenly shut her eyes tight. "No no no no," she repeated over and over again, digging her nails into her skin.

Kim frowned sympathetically.

"Quite a sight, isn't she?" Drakken suddenly said, turning away from Killigan and Monkey Fist to face Kim. "Shego from another world."

"Another world?" asked Kim as she knew she should.

"I thought she was another version of the time travelling Shego, but I discovered she was covered in void particles. Dimension hopping does get messy in that manner."

"Time travelling... Shego," Kim said slowly. That was from left field. Since when was Shego a time traveller? What did that mean compared to what she knew?

"Well, not anymore," replied Drakken. "Now that the Tempus Simian Idol is gone, thanks to you, we won't ever see her anymore. So we have to make due with this copy."

"Make due?" asked Kim. "Doing what?"

"Revenge of course," said Drakken. He walked over to stare down at Shego who cowered in his shadow. "Making sure this one suffers just as much as we all did."

"But," interrupted Kim. "She wasn't the one who did it to you!"

"She's not all that different," dismissed Drakken with a wave of the hand. "So twenty years ago this one diverged from our Shego. It doesn't matter. At the core, in their souls, they're still the same person."

"That's not fair," said Kim.

"Funny, that's what she said," Drakken smiled.

Kim narrowed her eyes. "Say what you will about the soul, but you're not the same Drakken I knew."

"Well, for one thing, he was much younger."

"Drakken," Monkey Fist ambled over. "What are we going to do with Possible?"

"Collar her and have her become roommates with Shego," said Drakken simply. "I'm sure we could have a lot of fun with her too."

"I have no bone to pick with Possible," said Monkey Fist.

"Nor I," said Killigan. "Brand her and send her to the education centers and be done with her."

"Excuse me?" said Drakken incredulously. "Who's name is on the top of the triangle? Oh, right, that's mine. Which means I'll decide what we do with Possible. You two goons may never have had any reason to up against Kim Possible but I got more than my share of her nosing her way into my plans. She stays, and she suffers." He folded his arms and slowly turned his gaze towards Kim.

Killigan scowled at Drakken but rolled over to a chest behind the dais and pulled out another collar and a small key.

"Wow," said Kim looking at Drakken then turning her eyes towards Monkey Fist. "I didn't realize how much you guys liked Drakken. You all must be best buds to trade your freedom from Shego for servitude to Drakken."

"We are not _servants_," stressed Monkey Fist.

"Oh, what do you call yourselves then?" asked Kim. "Lackeys? Thugs? Whipping Boys?" Kim looked thoughtful for a moment then her eyes widened and she nodded knowingly. "Oh! I'm sorry, you just used it and I wasn't paying attention." She looked back to Drakken. "He called you 'Goons.'"

"Quiet!" yelled Monkey Fist storming up to Kim.

"It's okay," nodded Kim. "Some people are like that. They don't like doing their own thing. Some people just need _masters._" She heavily emphasized the last word. "Just like..." she struggled for the word. "Dogs."

"Forget her," said Drakken casually. "Just collar her and get her to shut up."

"Why _are_ you at the top of the triangle?" asked Monkey Fist, turning on his heel. "You've got the brain power of a lemur."

"_I_ am a criminal GENUIS," bellowed Drakken. "You're a cheap kung-fu movie villain. Clearly I have superior status."

"Aye, and what about me?" asked Killigan. "I'm the world's deadliest Scottish robot golfer!"

"Please don't bother us when we're talking," sneered Monkey Fist and waved his hand at him. "This is grown-up stuff."

"Who do you think ye are talkin' too?!" yelled Killigan.

As the trio began to bicker again Kim got close to Shego once more. "We're going to have to make a run for it," she said. "Can you stand?"

Shego shivered slightly but then, gradually, nodded her head.

"What about your power, that energy thing?" asked Kim.

Shego shook her head. "Collar," she said with revulsion.

Kim nodded. "I'll handle that," she said.

Standing, Kim strode right over to the quarrelling trio. "Hey, am I going to get collared or what?" she asked defiantly. "Cause you know me, if I'm not being subdued I'm trying to escape and you probably don't want that."

"She's right," said Killigan.

"Don't be stupid, she goading you on," said Monkey Fist.

"I am not stupid," said Killigan.

"You're practically in the dictionary, Duff," agreed Drakken.

"I AM NOT STUPID," reiterated Killigan.

"I heard you the first time," said Monkey Fist.

"Saying it louder won't make it truer," added Drakken.

"Grrrr!" growled Killigan.

"Ooh, you haven't got rabies, have you?" asked Drakken in a cowboy accent. "Because it would be dreadful to have to take you out behind the barn and--"

Killigan suddenly lashed out, swinging one of his long metal arms at Monkey Fist who took the hit beneath his chin and went flying backwards. Then he spun back around and slammed Drakken to the floor and in a blur of motion snapped the collar he was holding around his neck.

"There!" yelled Killigan. "If ye are so concerned about Kim Possible getting collared, then _do it your damn self!_" With that he turned and started wheeling away.

Drakken suddenly leapt to his feet and tried to stare at his own neck without much success. "Killigan! What have you done?!" He grabbed the metal band and tried to pull on it but it wouldn't budge. "Killigan!" he yelled. "Get this off of me!"

Killigan looked over his canister at Drakken with a pitiful expression, then continued walking, tossing the small metal key over his head in the general direction of Drakken.

The dull metal sheen made a simple tone as it bounced on the marble floors once, then twice. Drakken followed it nervously with his eyes as he scrambled behind, hands ready to snatch it as soon as it stopped moving. The key finally settled and slid across the smooth floor before finally coming to rest under the rubber tread of a boot.

Drakken paused, looking at that boot, then followed the leg that was in it up until he was looking at Kim eye to eye.

"Hey," said Kim plainly.

"Uh... hi?" offered Drakken.

Kim offered him a kick to the stomach followed by a roundhouse to the face. He hit the ground hard and Kim turned on her foot to look behind her. "Shego!" she called then kicked the small key towards her. Shego looked at it with wonder for only a second before quickly swiping the key and beginning to fumble with her collar.

Kim looked back just in time to see Drakken come at her with his shoulder down. The impact was intense and much forceful than Kim had come to expect from Drakken. Kim did her best to land on her feet with no arms but toppled backwards all the same. Drakken stumbled around slightly then rebalanced himself to charge towards Kim.

Rolling to the side, Kim managed to dodge Drakken's first stampede. Keeping her momentum, she kicked off the ground to land on her feet and stand once more. Drakken didn't change his tactics much and continued to come straight at her. Each punch he through, though, Kim spun or dodged beside. Then, after several perfectly timed dodges, Kim spun to kick Drakken in the stomach again and then slammed him to the ground.

"Kim," a quiet but defiant voice said from behind her and she turned to see Shego coming up behind her. Kim turned to face her but Shego shook her head and pointed back towards Drakken. "Turn around," she commanded.

Kim weighed the odds of Shego deciding to back stab her and come out on top of everyone in play right now against her hatred for Drakken over her treatment and--

"Don't think about it, Princess, just do it!" Shego found her voice to yell. Kim blinked in shock then turned to watch as Drakken hold his chest as he began to stand. Suddenly Kim felt something very hot behind her slowly moving down her back. Then she felt a searing pain in the in her side and she yelped in response.

"Sorry!" said Shego from behind her. "Just one more second."

Suddenly Kim felt her arms free again and the dull thud of a thick metal sounded through the room. Kim stretched her arms and rolled her shoulders before putting up her fists and staring down Drakken. "All right, Drakken, you may be all muscle now, but I bet I'm more than twice as fast now."

Drakken looked up at her, grit his teeth, then charged at her.

He got two steps before a giant ball of green energy struck his chest and flung him forcefully against the ground, knocking him out.

Kim looked over at Shego who was, in turn, looking down at Drakken with a ghostly expression on her face.

Then, completely unbidden, she fell to her knees and began to sob into her hands. Kim stood conflicted for a moment, then kneeled beside her and gently held her in her arms.

---

"A Pan Dimensional Drill?" asked Wade, studying the results on his screen. "Hm... it could have worked."

"Clearly it didn't," said Kim looking over his shoulder.

They were in the tower that had previously been Drakken's lair, and before that, the seat of Shego's empire. Now, thanks to the resistance that Jim and Tim was able to call in after Kim freed them from Drakken's prison, it was being turned into the birthplace of a new era. The patrol drones were being reprogrammed into sanitation and construction drones, rebuilding the lost parts of the city while cleaning it up to a level of shine even Kim couldn't remember downtown ever having.

It was amazing the progress that was been made in such a short time in restoring Middleton to it's former state. But despite the cosmically fast changes happening on the ground, after a week up here in the tower, Wade still had little good news to give.

"Well, Dimensional Physics is a little more developed here than it is on your world," said Wade. "Dr. Flanner's thesis founded the basis for a whole field of study around it but, to be honest, we're still no closer to reliably crossing the divide between _specific _worlds."

"Dr. Flanner?" asked Kim. "_Justine_ Flanner?"

"You know her?" asked Wade.

"Hah," laughed Kim. "We went to school together. In my world anyway."

"Small world," said Wade.

Kim looked sadly down then turned around. The large room had been furnished over the last week since Kim and Wade had been spending so much time here, and a giant leather couch was now in one corner. Shego's quiet form was curled up on the sofa, turning every now and then from restless dreams.

"Too small," said Kim, grimly.

"I do have somewhat good news to tell you," said Wade. "It's not much, and it's not a solution, but it may--"

"Please, enough disclaimers," said Kim softly. "What is it?"

"Your void particles are unique," said Wade. "Yours and Shego's oscillate on the same wavelength. It's probably a tag, or an identifier of the process used to push you across the divide."

"So what does that mean?"

"Well, theoretically, everyone who was pushed into another world because of the Pan Dimensional Drill should have the same frequency in their void particles. That means we can search for it," said Wade. "Or better, follow it."

"Follow it?" asked Kim.

"Well, assuming that you and Shego are the only ones who ended up in this dimension, that means you'll have to leave here if you hope to find your Drakken and his 'remote.' You can follow the trail of void particles like a path, taking you, eventually, to Drakken."

"I thought you said you couldn't cross dimensions reliably," said Kim.

"No, said we couldn't cross between specific dimensions," corrected Wade. "Remember, we had a Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer in this world too. And with Dr. Flanner's research -- and hopefully her assistance -- I should be able to construct a small-ish device to breach the dimensional border and let you though. The only problem is targeting."

Wade suddenly stood and started pacing around his computer desk. "Research states that there is no way of targeting a specific reality when making a dimensional breach. But, maybe... we can get around that problem. Ultimately, you aren't looking to go to a specific reality, just trying to get closer to other dimensional travellers."

"How?" asked Kim.

"Think of it like ... streamers from a giant kite," said Wade. "You want to reach the kite itself but all you're holding is the end of one streamer and climbing up it. Now, you don't have any control over the kite really, so anywhere it flies, you have to follow it. But each time you move, you're getting closer to the kite."

"And the void particle thingys are like the streamers?" asked Kim.

"Exactly," nodded Wade. "You got it."

"I dunno if I really 'get it' per se..." mumbled Kim, then louder she says, "It sounds like it could take a while."

"Well, the closer you get to the kite, the better chances you'll run into other streamers you can use to speed your climb."

"Other streamers meaning...?" asked Kim.

"Other people sent by the Pan Dimensional Drill."

"Ah, like Ron or the MAPS scientists," said Kim.

"Right."

Kim nodded. "Okay, I think I understand." She looked over at Wade. "How long before you can make the streamer-tracer?"

"Could take a few days as I don't really have the expertise in this area," said Wade. "Maybe by next weekend at the latest?"

"Good," said Kim, turning back towards the sleeping form of Shego. "Hopefully the extra time will help her."

---

Shego stared at her reflection in the oversized mirror outside the main hall in the upper tower. She looked terrible. She had bags under her eyes, her cheeks were drawn, and her normally flowing hair felt frizzy and flat at the same time. At least she didn't feel frail anymore. She'd gotten back onto a regular diet and was trying to exercise like she always used to. Still, she couldn't believe what a difference a couple of weeks made.

"Hey," said Kim Possible as she walked up behind her. Come for her bi-hourly check-up, as usual.

"Hey," said Shego.

"How do you feel?" asked Kim. She'd asked this at least a billion times before.

"Like crap," answered Shego, as he had every time.

Kim shook her head. Next she would say something like, 'are you ready to leave?' or 'do you think you can make it through a few hops?' or something.

"Why?" asked Kim, diverting Shego from her script.

"Why... what?"

"Why are you being so hard on yourself for this?"

Shego stared. "It's me, I caused it."

"Caused what?" asked Kim.

"Everything," Shego hung her head. "Drakken told me to connect the Resonator to the Focuser, so it's my fault it was done incorrectly and caused the explosion."

"Most things Drakken does explode in the end," said Kim with half a smile. "I would be too hard on yourself for--"

Shego spun. "When do I get to be hard on myself? Huh? When WILL it be my turn to be blamed?" She shut her eyes tightly. "Look at this world, Kimmie. I did this. Me, with my own hands, and apparently I never knew anything was wrong."

Kim shook her head. "It wasn't you. This is another world, another dimension, where a _different_ you made _different_ choices."

"But I thought like she did," Shego said quietly, opening her eyes to stare blankly at the floor. "I would have done the same things given her power. I would have ... dashed the world like this. I never would have looked back." Shego looked up at Kim. "I never think about what I've done. I only think about the future. I could have destroyed everything I cared about and blamed Drakken for it. I wouldn't ever have felt guilty." Shego felt herself crying but did nothing to stop it.

Kim did, however. She gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks and spoke softly. "But you do now," she said. "That makes you different. It makes you very different that the Supreme One who did these horrors."

Shego felt her voice catch in her throat. "I don't want to do this anymore," she barely managed.

In return, though, Kim's face hardened. "We have to get home first."

---

Wade handed over the simple device. It looked like a slightly larger Kimmunicator, but in a darker blue shade, and with a retractable antenna on top.

"Looks familiar," said Kim with a satisfactory nod.

"The closer it looks to a Kimmunicator, the more easily you'll be able to use it in other worlds without looking too different than your alternate self." Wade shrugged. "Otherwise you probably don't want anyone to know about it. The words 'what if' have classically been the most tempting in the human language."

"I'm sick of them," spat Shego who was standing behind Kim, turned slightly away.

"How does it work?" asked Kim.

"It's got a menu system, which is pretty self explanatory. You can breach the dimensional void every twenty-four hours by selecting the 'Open Gateway' option and keying in this passcode." Wade handed her a slip of paper with a short sequence of numbers on it.

"This is..." said Kim in wonder.

"Your locker combination, yes," nodded Wade. "It's likely other Kim's will know it too, but it's better you not forget it or you'll be stranded in whatever world you end up."

"Well, I could just find your counterpart in that world," shrugged Kim.

"Don't count on it," said Wade, seriously. "The very fact that it's eighteen years later in this world than it was in yours means that the other dimensions you travel to could be moving at completely different rates of speed. You could end up in a world similar to medieval Rome or a distant future where nobody even speaks your language."

"Ugh," said Kim, blanching.

"Keep the TDF save, at all costs," said Wade.

"TDF?"

"Trans-Dimensional Facilitator," explained Wade, then continued. "The batteries are self-charging, but opening a gateway requires a lot of power, that's why you need to wait twenty-four hours before opening another one."

"Got it," nodded Kim.

"Otherwise, every time you move dimensions, the TDF will try to push you closer to a sympathetic frequency to your void particles. Meaning, hopefully, anyone else trapped out there because of the Pan Dimensional Drill."

Kim continued to nod. "And our goal is to find Drakken."

"Not quite," said Wade, tilting his head. "Drakken may be able to help you, but based on what you explained to me, what you're really looking for is his box, the Remote. That's the only thing that's going to be able to contact the Drill in your home world and draw you back to it."

"Okay. Remote, Drakken, Drill," Kim checked each off in her head.

"Otherwise... be careful," insisted Wade. "There is no way to prepare you for what's to come, so I loaded up your backpack with a wide variety of equipment that should be useful in the most number of situations. Otherwise, improvise." He smiled. "You're pretty good at that."

"It's a shame I don't have the power suit with me," said Kim. "Though it never did work properly."

"Power suit?" asked Wade.

"Long story," waved Kim. "Shego, are yo--"

"YES," snapped Shego. "Geeze, Princess, I'm ready already. Stop asking."

"Okay," nodded Kim. She held up the TDF and stared at it intensely. She tried to imagine where she might end up next, but then stopped herself. It wouldn't do any good and might only make her trip longer. She stepped forward and hugged Wade.

"Good luck, Kim," he said while embracing her.

"Thanks for everything, Wade," Kim said softly, then broke the hug. "Step back now, I don't want you to get hurt by this thing."

Kim pointed the TDF at an empty location and selected the option to open a gateway. With a buzz of energy a rip in the universe suddenly appeared complete with frayed edges and blinding light emanating from within. Kim looked in wonder at the spectacle. It was bright and beautiful as it twisted and hung in mid-air.

Kim turned and held out her hand. "Lets go," she said to Shego.

Shego looked sceptically at Kim's outstretched arm. "You're serious?"

"We can't get separated again," said Kim.

Shego sighed loudly then took Kim's hand. "Fine," she intoned.

The two stood before the magic light for several seconds before Shego looked over at Kim and said, "Are we _going_ or no--aaah!"

In a second it was over. Kim and Shego disappeared into the anomaly which immediately shut behind them.

Wade nodded sadly. He would never see either of them again if all things went well. But it was for the better.

"You did well," said a young girl's voice coming up behind him.

Wade turned to look at the short, brown-haired girl who could be no more than fifteen. "I fulfilled my role," Wade said curtly. "I had no choice."

"And I'm complimenting you for it," nodded the girl.

"Now what?" asked Wade.

"Dimensional travel is so messy," commented the girl. "It's better if people just ... _forget._"

"Well that's not... gonna... happ..." Wade trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. Then, suddenly, he shook his head and blinked several times. "What was I doing again?" he asked aloud, but there was no one in the room with him.

He blanched, hoping he wasn't turning into Drakken by talking to himself. He turned towards the stairs and started walking, picking up speed and enthusiasm with each step. It was a new world now that the Supreme One was gone, and he had a lot to do to continue the repairs.

Finally, it seemed like this world's nightmare was over.


	3. Part 2: HERO VS SPY

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't really like this chapter, but I wrote it so I feel the need to share. It's sloppy and convenient and I can do better, but I fell out of love with this story half-way through writing it and had to force myself to complete it. Hopefully Part III will be better.

If, by some chance, you end up reading this part and like it, hate it, or have something to say, PLEASE hit that 'review' button or send me an e-mail/PM. I love talking to people who have read my work and I have to say, considering the hit counts recorded on the STATS page, I'm only getting the opportunity to talk to less than one-half of one percent.

Oh, I was watching Burn Notice when I started writing this one, as apparent by the opening statements from Kim. I make fun of them here, but it's a good show overall in my opinion.

Alright, enough from me.

* * *

---

PART II: Hero Vs. Spy

---

"The problem with a really long stakeout," Kim Possible started quietly, "is trying to avoid the appearance of pattern. Even the dumbest target is going to realize there's been two people having coffee in the same café across the street for two weeks in a row. But sometimes that café is the only good vantage point, so what do you do?"

"Make the pattern obvious," her sidekick said in a bored tone. "Become a waiter at the café."

"That's right," nodded Kim.

"Well, that's because I know this already," replied the companion. "You've already told me three times already during this operation."

"It's important to remember," said Kim.

"I'm going to remember it now whether I want to or not, it's been nearly a month and we haven't seen ANYTHING suspicious leaving Senior Senior Senior's building. Though we are now intimately familiar with his deliveries of caviar, foie gras, high count fabrics and when Junior secretly orders out for Chinese."

Kim sighed and plopped down beside the window in the library they were in. Downtown Middleton had a rather impressive library for its selection of books, rare documents, expansive research section, and its excellent view from the second story into the alley behind Senior Senior Senior's recently constructed skyscraper. The only problem was that for the three weeks Team Possible has been spying on the building, not once had the so-called 'high profile' employee stepped out while they were there.

A familiar tone rung in Kim's ear and she discretely reached up to touch her earpiece, activating the radio nestled there.

"What's the sitch?" she asked quietly.

"Have you seen anything?" said the voice in her earpiece.

"Nope," Kim shook her head. "Nada, zilch. Just like every other afternoon this month."

"We have to ID the employee; we're running out of time." The voice sounded urgent and Kim felt guilty she had nothing to report.

"The guy has to leave the building for us to ID him, and so far, nothing has happened on that front." Kim glanced over at her partner, who nodded, encouraging her. "Now, if you want us to get inside--"

"No," the voice was firm. "We need total transparency on this one. You two are way too well known by Senior Senior Senior. There's no chance you'll get in under cover and if it was possible to sneak around his building without being seen then we would have gone that route from the start."

Kim sighed again and shook her head. "Alright, we'll stay here and watch."

"Please do." The line went silent.

Kim stood up and brushed off her pants. "We better get back to work," she said and motioned to the pair of carts behind them. They were filled with books of varying sizes and shapes, lined up in some random order, waiting to be returned to the shelves.

"I can't believe this is what my talents and skills are being used for," grumbled Kim's partner. "I am a performer, an eye grabber, and here I am doing nerd duty."

"It's not like I'm the sort to be found here either," said Kim.

"I dunno. With all that time you hang around that dweeb Ron Stoppable, I wonder."

"Ron is not a dweeb," Kim said firmly.

"Whatever, Kimmie."

"Hey," said Kim sharply, then quieted. "My name is 'Carla' here, remember." Kim motioned to her nametag.

"Oh, please, like anyone is fooled by that or..." the sidekick looked down at the nametag on her own chest. "Robin Sterling. I mean, come on, I sound like a cheesy romance novelist."

"You know why had to use cover identities," insisted Kim. "We've gone over this before."

"Yeah, yeah," 'Robin' said with a wave of her hand. She put her hands on the cart with fewer books on it and started pushing down the row of shelves. "James Bond never has to use a fake identity."

"Robin."

"I get it; I'll get back to w--"

"No, no," said Kim as she looked at the window. "Look."

'Robin' quickly rushed back to the window and stood beside 'Carla.' Down on the street, in the alley across the way, a somewhat rotund figure in a beige trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat was being escorted by three men in suits into a black limousine.

"Is that--" started 'Robin.'

"Come on!" yelled Kim, quickly grabbing her partner's hand, and running for the back stairs.

The duo raced across the study areas to the back staircase and fled down to the first floor and then out into alley behind the library. Kim looked around to orient herself quickly then ran down the alley towards the street. Stopping at the corner of the building, she peeked out of the alley just in time to see the limo start to pull away from Senior's skyscraper and into traffic.

"They're on the move!" announced Kim.

Her partner, who had lingered behind, suddenly threw off a pile of garbage in the alley, revealing a sleek looking motorcycle. Without hesitating she threw her leg over it and kick started the engine. Dropping on her helmet and revving the bike twice, she looked up, annoyed at Kim.

"Are you coming?!" she asked.

Kim shook her head and ran towards the bike just as her partner started speeding it towards her. Feet before they would have collided, 'Robin' stepped on the breaks and skidded to stop right where Kim could jump onto the bike behind her. "Go!" yelled Kim, gripping tightly onto her partner.

Speeding immediately into the street, they quickly started weaving in and out of traffic, picking up speed behind the limo.

"Rein it back a bit!" Kim yelled over the sound of traffic and the engine. "Get too close and they'll realize we're following."

"I know what I'm doing!" her partner yelled back.

They continued to rapidly close the distance with the car in the slowly moving city traffic and Kim started to get nervous.

"Cover your face," said her partner and Kim buried it in her back. A few seconds later they reached the limo and sped straight past and continued going to the next alley where they turned off the road. A few seconds later she slowed the bike to a stop and Kim lifted her head.

"What was that all--"

"Tinted windows," said 'Robin.' "I tried to see inside."

"That's not unusual in a limo," said Kim, turning to behind her back at traffic. "You're hoping to follow her from here?"

"That's the idea. Better than being in traffic with them. This way, unless they're looking really hard, they'll never spot us."

"Aren't you suddenly very clever," said Kim.

"Hey, trust me, I know a few things about avoiding and following people."

"Lemme guess," said Kim. "Old boyfriends, perhaps?"

Her partner hung her head. "No, actually... more like my sisters."

Kim's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said apologetically.

"It's alright."

Kim looked back down the alley and saw traffic moving again. A second later she spotted the black car slowly rolling past. "They're moving again," she said.

Her partner nodded and started the bike again. Putting it in gear she started head down an alley parallel to the main street.

Just as she was picking up speed, there was suddenly a deafening sound that echoed through the alley, startling them. It was quickly followed but a dull rumbling as wind started to blow between the building.

"What on earth is--" started Kim but she was interrupted by a sudden flash of bright light followed by what sounded like two voices yelling.

"AHHHHHHH!!!"

"WOOAAAAAAAAH!!!"

With a heavy thud, two large, heavy _things _fell on Kim and her partner throwing them violently off the bike and to the ground. With a sickening clatter the bike spun out of control and then rolled against the pavement through the alley, finally stopping after striking a large nearby dumpster.

Kim felt her head throb as she tried to pick herself up. Her hands and elbows were bloody where they had skid across the pavement after falling off the pike, and her neck felt like someone had stuck a nail in it. With a great deal of wincing she finally managed to get onto her knees and find out what hit them.

It turned out it was two people who had hit them and they didn't look to be in any better condition than she was. But that wasn't what caught her eye right away.

What caught her eye right away were their faces. One of the two was Shego, whom Kim thought was currently in jail doing time, and the other was... herself. Kim blinked several times and rubbed her eyes but there was no mistaking it. She was looking at a nearly exact copy of herself.

Suddenly, Kim realized she didn't see her partner anywhere and panicked. She stood quickly -- which turned out to be a bad idea because she was immediately hit with vertigo -- and looked around for her sidekick. A second later she spotted her, crumbled up against the building beside the bike, still wearing her helmet.

Kim rushed over as fast as she could with the pain in her legs from the fall and then kneeled beside her. She carefully pulled the helmet off, revealing her partner's long brown hair and tanned skin. With care, she moved her body to lay flat and gently tapped her on the cheek.

"Hey!" she said. "Hey are you okay?"

Her partner made a grunting nose and slowly began moving. Bringing her hand to her forehead she rubbed her temples slowly. "What the hell hit us?" she said.

"I'm..." Kim hesitated. "I'm not sure. You'll probably want to see for yourself."

"Unngg.." a sound came from the side and Kim looked up to see her copy and Shego moving slightly.

"They're getting up," said Kim.

"Who?" asked her partner, again.

"You're not going to believe me unless you see it," said Kim. She held out her hands. "Can you stand?"

With a frustrated grunt, Kim helped her partner up and let her lean on her shoulder as they stumbled towards the other two people in the alley. The gasp right beside Kim's ear led her to believe she'd guessed her partner's reaction right.

The Kim on the ground opened her eyes and started to look around. She stopped when she saw the standing Kim and her partner. "Oh," said the Kim on the ground. "Hello."

"What are you?" Kim's partner demanded.

"It's a little... tough to explain. Hang on a second," the Kim on the ground said. She lifted her head and looked over at the Shego beside her. "Hey, Shego, you alright?"

"No," said the Shego beside her. "But I'll live." She turned her head and saw the situation. "Well, that was easy."

"You were looking for me?" asked the standing Kim. "Are you one of Drakken's clones?"

"Hah!" laughed the Shego once before starting to cough heavily. "Oohh... couldn't we have landed on the ground?"

"We're lucky we only fell a few feet," said the Kim on the ground as she sat up. "That tower we were in was hundreds of feet up."

"Lucky us," said Shego with a strained voice.

"Who are you two?" Kim's partner repeated louder.

"We're exactly who you think we are, just different," said the Kim on the ground.

"That does not help," the standing Kim replied. "I think you're clones."

"Well, we're not clones," said the sitting Kim. "But we are copies. We're from another dimension. Another universe."

"..." said Kim.

"..." agreed her partner.

"Um," started the Shego on the ground. "I don't suppose we could talk about this somewhere there isn't garbage on all sides of me and it doesn't reek of old cheese."

Kim sniffed the air experimentally then made a funny face. "Okay, I'm not against that."

"Oh, man," said Kim's partner looking over her shoulder. "My bike..."

Kim patted her on the shoulder. "I'll have the Tweebs take a look at it, maybe they can help."

The Kim on the ground got up wearily to her feet and watched her counterpart. "Wow, you two are awfully chummy," she said.

"What do you saying?" replied Kim's partner.

"Nothing," said the trans-dimensional Kim. "I'm just saying that in my dimension, we don't really get along. It doesn't mean anything, it's just how my world is."

"Wait," said the native Kim. "How do you ever get through a mission if you don't get along?"

"You'd be surprised--" started the trans-dimensional Kim but then she hesitated. "Woah, what do you mean, 'mission?'" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Are you saying SHE'S on your team?"

"Well, yeah," said the native Kim in a matter-of-fact tone. "She's my partner."

"Her," the trans-dimensional Kim pointed directly at this Kim's partner.

"That's right."

"Just so I'm clear," the trans-dimensional Kim put her hand to her forehead as if holding back a headache. "Team Possible, in this universe, is you, Kim Possible, and her..."

"Bonnie Rockwaller," Bonnie finished for her.

Kim blinked. "Oh, boy."

---

The conversation was as light as the three girls sat in the back of a taxi heading to KP's -- whom the trans-dimensional Kim had taken to referring to this universe's Kim Possible -- home. Bonnie, whom Kim had immediately viewed with skepticism, had taken the motorcycle back as the four of them would never have fit on it. Kim insisted that she did, in fact, know how to get to KP's home as it was in all likelihood the same as hers, but KP was not yet totally sold on the 'alternate-dimension' idea and wanted to escort them.

Shego, on the other hand, was pretty indifferent to the whole confusing scenario and did what her mother had always wanted her to do while growing up: she said nothing.

"Seriously, Bonnie?" Kim said for just about the four-hundredth time.

"You come from a universe of complainers?" asked KP, with a raised eyebrow.

Shego nearly burst by restraining herself from commenting, but remained silent.

"What about Ron?" asked Kim.

"Ron Stoppable?" KP said, incredulously. "He's a real sweetheart, but he's not really cut out for the sort of work we do."

"I don't know," mused Kim. "Aside from the pants falling down thing, he's been pretty effective in fights." She paused for Shego's snort, and then continued. "Comes up with a good idea once in a while too."

"Pants falling down?" asked KP the hastily added, "Wait! I ... don't want to know."

"I suppose if your Ron doesn't go on your missions he never got the Mystical Monkey Power either," said Kim, disheartened. She felt bad for this dimension's Ron. More than once she'd heard her own Ron talk about how cool it was to have his own nemesis and a magical superpower, even if he didn't know exactly how to use it.

"Is this related to his pants falling down?"

"No. I'm talking about that magical statue thing that Monty was after a few years back," said Kim.

"Monty who?" asked KP, confused, and then laughed. "Monty Fiske?"

"Yeah," nodded Kim, who didn't get the joke.

"Wait, you're serious? You know Monty Fiske?"

"You don't?" asked Kim, now fully confused.

"Well, no, not really," KP shook her head. "Never really encountered him during an assignment. He's not exactly a big player in the political or corporate world."

"Political or..." Kim blinked. She glanced once towards the taxi driver then leaned in closer to KP. "What sort of work do you do with Bonnie, anyway?" she said quietly.

KP looked back with a frown, and hesitated. Her eyes went to the taxi driver as well but also flicked towards Shego once or twice. Eventually she sat back and crossed her arms. "I think we should wait to talk about this with the whole team."

"There are more people who work with you?" asked Kim.

"Well, just one more," said KP.

Kim nodded. "Your computer guy?" she asked, hopefully.

KP just stared forward and slightly nodded. "Something like that."

Kim leaned back again and looked to Shego whose expression said everything: Her eyes were keenly tracking the native Kim Possible and she was keeping her muscles tense, as if ready to fight or flee at a moment's notice. Kim wanted to offer a consoling pat on the shoulder and assure her that they weren't in any danger, but she couldn't.

They hadn't run into their alter-egos in the last dimension they were in. Kim hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but now, sharing a taxi with a girl who could have been her clone but was clearly not, she realized that the hardest part of this quest across worlds would not be facing her enemies over and over again.

It would be facing herself.

Unable to offer a better course of action, Kim kept her eyes on the road with only occasional glances at her counterpart.

---

Pulling into the familiar drive, Kim saw the motorcycle that Bonnie had taken parked outside of the garage of her house. Kim had lost track of her counterpart's sidekick shortly after they got in the taxi and was concerned about where she might have gone, but was half-relieved that she'd merely gone on ahead. KP didn't seem to have paid the matter any mind as they piled out of the taxi and handed over some neatly folded bills to the driver.

As the taxi left, KP started moving towards the front door, carefully avoiding the lawn by walking up the driveway. Shego stood behind Kim as they followed, less out of deference and more, Kim suspected, to keep a defensive object between herself and this dimension's red-haired Possible girl.

Ahead of them, KP looked stopped at the bike and made more than a few frustrated noises. Black and green paint was scattered in patches across the side of the bike where it had slid across the pavement and then impacted the green dumpster. KP glanced back at Kim and Shego with a less than friendly look, and then finally continued off the driveway onto the walk that led to he front door. Without ceremony KP pushed inside and Kim and Shego entered.

Kim immediately felt something was off. The hair on the back her neck stood on end and her senses exploded with sense memory that was just wrong enough to make her feel uneasy. The house was quiet save for KP's soft steps. Kim had seen a version of her house like this all too recently: in that burned out husk of Middleton they had just left.

"Where is everybody?" asked Kim, searching for any sign of her family.

"Away," said KP. "We try to plan our work when the folks are away, it generates less questions that way."

"Less questions?" asked Kim. "What? Don't mom and dad approve of your hero work in this world?"

KP paused, looking down. "Not quite," she said, then headed for the hallway perpendicular to the kitchen.

"Why not?" asked Kim, following instinctively. They were heading down to where her parents slept in her own dimension.

KP looked back at Kim with an annoyed expression. "It's too dangerous for them to accept," she said plainly. "You know how it is."

"Uh, no," said Kim guardedly.

As KP ducked into the master bedroom, Kim angrily followed, her steps not nearly as light as her counterpart's, nor as quiet as Shego's behind her, whom might as well not even have been there. When they both entered the bedroom, however, they noticed KP descending a spiral staircase in the center of the room.

Shego cocked her head to the side as Kim wordlessly peered down the staircase. Unfortunately, because of the way the stairs spiraled beneath themselves, there was no way of telling how deep they went. She looked to Shego who only shrugged back. The creepy feeling she was having earlier had blossomed into a full blown distrust with the lingering notion that, somehow, she was walking into a trap.

"Coming?" a voice carried from below.

Sighing, Kim started to descend. There was little more than one and a half flights of stairs before she stepped into a long tunnel lined with embedded lights on either side. A figure was a couple dozen yards ahead and walking casually away, to which Kim followed.

Eventually they emerged into a wide hall filled with tables topped by equal parts computers and mission gear. The tables were lined up in rows to the left and right of the hall as Kim and Shego stared down it lengthwise. At the very end of the hall, however, was a large, dark desk, in front of which both KP and Bonnie were standing.

The two members of this world's Team Possible turned to face Kim and Shego, but remained shoulder to shoulder, obscuring whoever, if anyone, was sitting behind the desk. KP waved them over.

Kim started to move but hesitated after she felt a soft touch on her shoulder. She glanced back to see Shego lightly holding her, a frown on her face.

"I don't like this," she said simply. "We should go."

Kim quietly sighed. "It's too late to say that now," she said. "If they mean us harm, we've already gone in too far to escape."

"Be ready for a fight then." Shego relinquished her grip and dropped her hands loosely to her side.

They proceeded forward. Kim immediately felt guilty. Shego had said nothing since they arrived in this dimension and did nothing except follow her. If they were now in a bad situation it was entirely Kim's fault. It was completely avoidable too. They didn't have to follow KP back to her home, didn't have to find out what exactly was different from their own universe. That was all Kim's curiosity. She paled when she considered what traditionally happened to cats and their curiosity.

When they reached the desk, KP nodded to Bonnie.

"Kim, Shego," Bonnie said to the two. "I'd like to introduce: M."

KP and Bonnie stepped to the side to reveal a girl no older than the two before her, with dark skin and hair, wearing a black suit over a white blouse. She looked up at Kim and Shego with a pleasant smile behind her steepled fingers.

"Monique?" Kim blurted, utterly shocked.

"So, you do know me," said M, nodding slowly but maintaining her smile.

Kim felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Know you?" she said with half a laugh. "We're like the closest girlfriends in our dimension. We have at least half our classes together!" Kim smiled at Shego reassuringly but the elder woman remained on guard. Without missing a beat, Kim looked at KP and Bonnie. "Geeze, with the way you two were being all dramatic I almost thought you were going to tell me you work for the Mafia." She laughed.

Nobody else did.

"Classes?" asked M, still with her lips curled. "I attended Middleton High?"

"Well, yeah," nodded Kim. "You don't here?"

"M's family--" started Bonnie but M suddenly shot her a stare that shut her up.

"I live," started M before looking back toward Kim. "I live a much more private life here."

"I'll say," Kim said, looking around. Taking a closer look she noticed other tunnels, besides the one she and Shego came though, leading off the room to all sides. "Where do all those tunnels lead?"

"Why don't we talk about you for a second," said M, evading Kim's question. "I think my girls have been fairly forthright with you since your appearance. Would you give me the same honor?"

Kim felt tickles on the back of her neck again from the way Monique talked but she tried to push them away. This was her friend. Her BEST FRIEND after Ron. She shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe everyone in this dimension had a network of tunnels beneath their houses and talked like they were a Bond villain. How could she know?

"All right," said Kim, smiling. "What do you want to know?"

"How did you come here?" asked M. "Is crossing dimensions something you do often?"

Kim shook her head. "No, not at all. I really have no experience with this sort of thing." She paused. "Well, except that TV thing with Dr. Drakken."

M's eyes seemed to light up for a second. "Then how did you end up here?" she repeated her earlier question.

"It was--"

"--an accident," interrupted Shego, stepping forward. Kim looked over at her, startled, but nodded. "One of Drakken's toys," continued Shego. "Exploded and sent us far and away."

"I see," nodded M.

Shego stepped back again and quieted after her outburst.

"I have to say, Shego," said M. "You're very different than our Shego."

"How so?" asked Shego.

"You're very quiet for one thing," said M. "We can't get ours to stop talking at all. Quite a mouth on that one." She laughed. "Also, she wouldn't be caught dead with KP, and yet, here you are, almost trying to protect Kim."

"I'm ..." Shego hesitated. "We got into this mess together, and we stand a better chance getting out of it as a... team."

"Interesting," said M. "Just right now, was it hard to say the word 'team' when referring to yourself and Kim?"

Shego glared back at M and said nothing.

"Tell me, Kim," said M, but keeping her eyes on Shego. "Have you been to other dimensions besides your own and this one?"

Kim bit her lip slightly as she considered her options. "No," she replied.

"What about that 'TV thing with Drakken' you just mentioned?" asked M, finally turning her dark eyes towards Kim.

"Oh, that," said Kim quickly. "Well, yeah, there was this one other time that Drakken got us all trapped in another dimension, but we got out of there alright." She looked quickly to KP and then Bonnie. "But besides that, no. Nothing else after the accidental explosion of Drakken's device."

"What happened to Dr. Drakken himself?"

"Obviously, we haven't seen him yet," said Kim. "Maybe he was sent elsewhere?"

M nodded and was quiet. Several moments passed before she leaned back in her chair and nodded again. "Do you think he'll be able to send you home?"

"Drakken?" asked Kim. "I guess. Maybe if he had the equipment." She shrugged.

"Well then, I think it's clear we should help you find him," said M, with an air of finality. All four of the girls opposite her desk looked at her at once. "In the very least, the last thing we need around here is two Drakkens causing trouble."

"That's for sure," sighed KP.

Kim and Shego looked at each other, uncertain.

"You'll let us help you, right?" asked M. "I'm sure you're eager to get home as soon as possible."

"We are," assured Kim. "Yeah, I guess we could use all the help we can get." She tried to sound 'normal' to hide her suspicion but for some reason couldn't remember what normal sounded like and it came out monotone.

"Great," nodded M. "We'll get tomorrow." She smiled widely. "Thanks for being honest with me," she said. "To answer your earlier question, those tunnels run underground through some of the town, to the Rockwaller home, and my own residence." She stood and moved around the desk to lean against it. "I won't bore you with the details, but I can't afford to be seen all too much and they help me get around."

"Why can't you be seen?" asked Kim.

M shook her head. "It would take too much time to explain. Maybe after we round up your Drakken." She looked to KP. "Can you set them up in your house? They'll probably appreciate the familiar environment."

"Sure," nodded KP and looked to Shego and Kim. "Come on, you can sleep in my room. It'll be like you never left home." She motioned cheerfully as she headed back towards the tunnel entrance. The dimensional travelers turned to follow.

"Oh, one more thing."

Kim and Shego turned back to see M holding out her hand. "Sorry, I almost forgot," she said. "What was the device supposed to do? You know, before it blew up and sent you two here."

Kim looked at Shego who looked at M. "Dominate the world. You know Drakken. I don't really listen to anything beyond that anymore."

"Gotcha," said M. "Have a good night."

They left without any interruption this time.

---

It wasn't until after KP had shown them the room and left to do something back in the tunnels that Shego spoke again. Her voice was quiet but there was no mistaking the urgency behind it.

"How much longer before we can leave?"

Kim, who was sitting on the bed, pulled out the modified Kimmunicator and turned it on. She selected the option to create a gateway and it flashed once in error, then displayed a message:

INSUFFICIENT POWER TO GENERATE GATEWAY

ESTIMATED TIME TO BATTERY RECHARGE: 17.875 HOURS

Kim related the information to Shego who started to slowly pace around the room. "We should go," she said after making a couple laps. "They left us unguarded, we can just exit out the front door and wait out the eighteen-hours on our own."

"Listen to yourself," said Kim. "Unguarded? We're not dealing with villains here. They're the good guys."

"We don't know that," said Shego. "We don't know anything about this place. And I don't trust that M, girl. She was acting way too shrewd for someone without skeletons in her closet."

"Monique?" said Kim. "She's harmless. She's the queen of shopping and style. It's Bonnie I'd be more concerned about."

"Are you an idiot?" snapped Shego. "Haven't you heard what I said? Nothing you know applies here! She could be the god damn anti-Christ in this dimension for all we know! There are no limits!"

Kim stood up and walked right up to Shego. "YES!" she yelled right in her face. "I get it! But we can't suspect EVERYONE of being evil just because the possibility exists that they might be! We can't go through this without making friends!"

"I don't see why not," said Shego in a slightly haughty manner. "We don't need anything from anyone and we only have to stay for twenty-four hours. Or is the princess getting lonely without her cabal of hanger-ons?"

"They are my _friends,_" stressed Kim. "And, yes, as a matter of fact, I do miss them. But this isn't about that. It's about food and a place to sleep. It's about making new friends in case we need help."

"New friends who look exactly like your old ones," Shego grumbled.

"What does that matter? Is there someone _you'd_ like to talk to, then?"

Shego sighed angrily. "No! I don't want to talk to anyone! Drakken isn't here, so it's safer to just avoid everyone until our time is up and then leave. Being here is risky. Too risky. I don't know what that M girl wants and I don't trust that she has our best interest in mind. Anyone who picks their words so carefully has to be hiding something."

"You don't know that," insisted Kim. "You're just guessing."

"I still don't think it's worth the risk," said Shego. "Let's get out of here."

Kim stood her ground angrily.

"_Fine_," snapped Shego. "I'll leave. But I warn you," she rose a finger to poke menacingly at Kim. "If you end up in trouble the only thing I'm going to spend any time trying to rescue is _that_." She pointed at the Kimmunicator in Kim's hand.

Turning on her toes, Shego stormed out of the room.

---

Bonnie looked urgently back at M. "Should I--"

"No," M shook her head. "KP, you go, you stand a better chance at keeping up."

KP nodded and headed for the tunnels.

"Gee, thanks," Bonnie said sarcastically, looking back at the monitor showing Kim's room. Shego had just stormed out and off-camera leaving only the 'Kim Possible' that claimed to be from another dimension behind. "No doubt about my skills now."

"Don't get surly," M said. "I need you to do something more important than tail Shego."

"More important?" asked Bonnie. "These two could ruin us! The last thing we need is someone who looks identical to Kim running around shouting their name to the heavens every chance they get." She grit her teeth. "I swear, Drakken is behind this."

M nodded slowly. "I thought as much as well, given Shego's involvement. But..." She stepped over to her desk and touched an inlaid button. Another screen in the long hall came to life showing the inside of a prison cell. A very similar looking spy sat there with long dark hair and pale, green-tinted skin. "I checked. She's still in there."

"That doesn't rule it out," said Bonnie. "Could be clones! Or one of PorterTech's androids. You know the trouble they caused last time."

"No EM emissions," said M, punching another button which bathed the monitor showing Kim's room in a dark blue. A single patch of bright white lay on Kim's lap but otherwise she looked like any other human would.

"What's that?" asked Bonnie, pointing to the spot.

"Her Gateway Opener," said M with reverence. "She was playing with it earlier. She said something like it wouldn't work again for 18 hours."

Bonnie blinked. "So you believe this claptrap," she said. "Dimensional traveling. Alternate worlds."

"Not impossible, scientifically speaking," M replied. "I have a feeling if anyone could do it, it would be Drakken."

"Or W," added Bonnie, in a somewhat sing-song voice.

M glared at her. "We've talked about this a hundred times already. He left. I'm not going to go looking for him like a lost puppy."

"Come on," grinned Bonnie. "Don't you miss him?"

M pushed a button on her desk and all the monitors went dark. "Moving on," she said with finality. "Let's talk about Senior Senior Senior's new guy."

"Ah, right," nodded Bonnie. "We lost him, thanks to the Sliders duo."

"I know, but you did get me the license plate and..." with a flick of her wrist another screen came to life showing a map of downtown Middleton. "It came up on some of the intersection cameras and I traced it to this hotel."

"Nice," nodded Bonnie. "Ritz-Carlton. I always wanted to go."

"Pack up, then," said M. "You're going right now."

Bonnie grinned.

---

A soft knock caused Kim to jump and she looked up in time to see a figure in a black suit slowly coming up the stairs into the room. Kim sighed softly and pushed her Kimmunicator back into her pants pocket for safety sake.

"Monique," said Kim with an earnest smile.

"Hey," said M casually. "How are you holding up?"

"Well, it is my room," shrugged Kim. "Even if the pictures are different. I noticed you're not in any of them, by the way."

M nodded, almost solemnly. "I can't be. Nobody can know."

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing... happened to me, per se," said M, coming over to sit next to Kim on the bed. "My parents were involved in something... big. I became a target because of it. Not my fault, but I was saddled with the punishment."

"I'm sorry," said Kim. She put a hand no M's shoulder sympathetically. "Are they...?"

"They're not dead," said M looking up. "But I can't see them anymore. It's not safe for them and it's not safe for me." She looked down on the floor again. "It probably would be better if they were dead," she said ruefully.

"No, it can't be." Kim shook her head.

"You don't know what it's like," M turned her head away. "To know they're there, to know how to get to them, but never being able to. To have to keep yourself from doing what you want because you know if you do, it'll mean the end of everything."

Kim searched her memories but came up short. "You're right, I don't know what it's like. But at least you have me. I mean, the other me. And Bonnie... I guess."

M laughed lightly. "I take it you are not close to Bonnie where you come from."

"No, not at all," Kim said. "She's a prissy jerk who takes every chance she gets to show me up."

M laughed in earnest this time. "Then it's not her who's different here, it's you."

"Me?" asked Kim.

"Well, I don't know the details of your Bonnie, but ours isn't much different than you describe. KP likes the competition though, and they've been good friends in-between all the fighting over boys and performance in sports and grades." M finally looked back to Kim. "And what they do for me."

Kim didn't want to pry, but she felt she was being led somewhere so she asked all the same. "I don't think you do the same thing I do in my dimension. What, exactly, do KP and Bonnie do for you?"

M looked her right in eye. "We do what's right."

Kim looked back evenly. "Right." It was supposed to be a question, but it came across more like a statement.

"Sometimes bad people do bad things," said M. "We've tried to balance that. Temper the sometimes ambiguous response of government."

"KP said you did political and business work," said Kim. "How do you determine what's 'right' in those areas? It's not cut and dry."

"Nothing in life is cut and dry, Kim," said M. "And nothing is truly fair. But we do what we can to do right to the most amount of people; keeping clearly malicious people from gaining too much power; keep kind people from getting too hurt. And, yes, many times that has to do with protecting or preventing the distribution of money."

"Like a Robin Hood," said Kim.

"A little," nodded M. "Though it would be much easier if we could just rob the rich and give to the poor without the rich hiring lawyers and lobbyists to take the money back and institute laws to prevent them from being stolen from again." She smiled slightly.

Kim shook her head. "It sounds so complicated. How can the three of you possibly keep up to date on everything?"

"I've been watching the corporate world for a long time because of my family," said M. "And... W laid most of the groundwork with his software and resources."

"W?" asked Kim. "There are four of you?"

"Not anymore. W was a young genius who helped me set this all up. He helped create software to monitor the business and political world and highlight news that might interest us."

Kim frowned. "What happened to him?"

"He grew... disillusioned with what we were doing," said M. "He left some time ago and I haven't seen him since."

"W... was a kid named Wade Load, wasn't he?" said Kim quietly.

M looked surprised but then nodded. "So many things are similar and yet so different between our worlds. What did W do for you?"

"He helped me set up my website and then administer it," said Kim.

M blinked. "That's it?"

"Well, my website is how people find me," explained Kim. "When people are in trouble, they contact my website for help and I go to them. Wade helps me by finding all the information he can about the problem and figure out where's the best place to go."

"So he has much the same role as me, then?" said M.

"I suppose," said Kim. "He's also always coming up with gadgets and tools for me and Ron to use on our missions. Oh, Ron Stoppable, he's my partner in my world, not Bonnie."

"And, anyone can ask for your help?" asked M.

"Pretty much. I'm not really sure if there are any pranks or anything like that which Wade filters through, but every time he's contacted me, it's been to help people who honestly need it."

"How do you negotiate your fee?" asked M.

"Fee?" Kim said. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm helping people, I don't charge them money."

"Any operation needs capital," said M. "How else do you stay in business?"

"It's not a _business_, really," said Kim. "I just help where I can. I don't need money."

"But you travel around the world!" said M. "How can you afford it? How does W get supplies for his equipment? How--"

"I just do!" interrupted Kim. "I get by as best I can. I take up jobs when I need to and I have a lot of people who thank me for my help by giving me rides. Does it matter? That's not the point. The point is that I won't stand by while people suffer."

M looked at Kim with her mouth slightly open, her expression some mixture of shock and bewilderment. After a moment, she composed herself and blinked several times. "You are..." she trailed off.

"What?" asked Kim, annoyed.

After a second M's expression softened. "You're a saint."

It was Kim's time to be surprised. "No... no, I'm not. It's nothing, just something I do because I can."

"Others wouldn't," said M softly.

"Well... I'm sure they have their reasons," said Kim.

M nodded. "So, what will you do if we can't find your Drakken?"

"We'll... work something out," said Kim.

"You don't have another way to get back, right," said M.

Kim shook her head but said nothing.

"Well, you're always welcome to stay with us," said M. "As long as you need to. I'm not sure how comfortable you'd be with KP, but I've got lots of room in my place. I'm sure we'd get along. Like you said, in your dimension we're best friends and I could always use the help of a saint."

"Yeah," Kim said. She was unsure of that but didn't want to seem rude. "Let's see if we can find Drakken before we make any final decisions though, okay?"

"Of course," nodded M, patting Kim's leg as she stood up. "Thanks for talking with me. I know you must find me suspicious, like a stranger in your friend's skin, but I hope you can come to trust me."

"I'm sure I could," said Kim evenly.

M nodded as if satisfied and headed back down the stairs. "Good night," she called up just before vanishing.

"Good night," said Kim without raising her voice.

---

It was midnight before Shego lost her tail. She cursed loudly when she had finally confirmed she was alone. "That damn Kim Possible, even in another dimension she's the most annoying girl on the face of the planet."

Thankfully, while Middleton was no New York, it certain did have its fair share of after-midnight stores and services open, and with a quick triple-check that she wasn't being watched, Shego jumped down to the street and started walk through downtown.

Party people never slept, Shego was convinced, and as such most of the things that were still active at this time of night were clubs, bars, and the occasional movie theatre. A couple restaurants stayed open late for the late commuter coming off a flight at Middleton International, and, of course, there were the 24-hour drugstores and convenience stores that provided much of the light once you got away from the glitter and glam of Main Street.

It wasn't more than a couple blocks away from Main that she came across what she was looking for. It was a simple storefront with a large glass window showing about half a dozen desks with computers on them and a very bored, half-asleep attended at a service desk with a register. Shego stepped in and was suddenly thankful that she wasn't dressed as she typically was. The green and black uniform was the one thing her brothers got right and she loved it dearly, but right now it would have screamed trouble the way her black pants dark brown blouse never would.

Dropping some cash in front of the attendant, who counted it once and then tossed a key across the counter, Shego headed over to the computer that matched the number on the key and turned it on. The key was for the simple lock on the front of the computer that hid the power button from view. There were no credit card swipe machines or fancy timers. This was El-cheapo internet café and that's exactly what she wanted.

After a few moments the screen showed her an internet browser, and Shego got to work. There was a hundred questions in her head right now and there was no way she was about to trust a word out of that single lettered teenager. If this world was anything like her own, the internet was the best place to find any sort of information.

Less than a minute later she had already gotten her first question answered: Kim Possible was absolutely not a public figure. Whereas in her own dimension, Shego was forced to gag nearly every ten minutes due to some glowing mention of the teenaged heroine, here, not even a deliberate search for her turned up anything relevant. That was a pretty big change even if Shego made herself feel queasy admitting it.

Hitting up all the principal loonies from her home dimension only made the differences greater. As the local KP has said, Monty Fiske has not ever gone by the alias Monkey Fist and was, as KP said, a noted archeologist and zoologist who was searching the African rainforests for signs of a pre-historic civilization of primates before the rise of man. The obsession was the same, but there was no mention of monkey armies or monkey themed terrorism.

Drakken at least showed up close to normal on the INTERPOL wanted list, blue skin, scar and wild hair included. Shego almost felt a tinge of nostalgia before remembering that it was a version of Drakken who tortured her to near death. She had to keep herself from spitting at the monitor as she read the publicly available information. He definitely had his sights on world domination through better inventions like his counterpart, and it looked like there were some very near successes that were thwarted at the last minute by unknown parties.

Shego paused and considered the missing information. It seemed to support M's story, but there was no way to know it was her group of ... for lack of a better word: spies, than it was someone else like Global Justice.

Frustrated, Shego kept clicking. Soon she had her own Interpol file, this time wanted for grand larceny and corporate espionage. Shego shivered at those words. They were much sexier than 'sidekick to moron' which she had frequently labeled herself in her private moments. Still, being her own independent agent meant she was incurring her own independent crime record. Getting caught like that meant she had no leverage to barter a plea bargain, as her local counterpart had no doubt discovered. The last line of the record indicated she'd been incarcerated late last year. Again, the details on the arrest were fuzzy and even searching the news sites didn't reveal more. More support for M's statements.

Still, it didn't seem right. Shego had been around enough sneaky people to know how sneaky people act and M fit the profile perfectly. She decided to stop beating around the brush and attack it head on. She started looking for dirt on M herself. With only a first name to go on, she barely knew where to start but she figured Middleton wasn't that big, surely there would be some snippet of information she could use to build a better search profile.

Two hours later, Shego threw the computer key back at the attendant (knocking him off his chair) and stormed out of the internet café in a huff. Such a waste. So much time with no results. How did a girl with enough resources to build a network of tunnels under the freaking city end up completely vanish from the net? It was patently impossible unless you had the world's greatest hacker behind you picking up every single scrap you ever left...

Hang on. Didn't Kim have some nerd kid hacker working with her? Shego stopped in the street and looked back over her shoulder at the café. If he was aligned with M in this world, he might have been able to do it. But did he clean up his own trail as well as he did for the sneaky M?

Shego turned back to find out.

---

The next morning Kim dug around her counterpart's dressers for a replacement set of mission clothes, only to discover that KP did not appear to have any. An odd difference between them, but not one she felt was too significant. She pulled out a dark purple shirt and some black pants to replace her black turtleneck and cargos, moved the Kimmunicator into her new back pocket, and then headed down to the tunnels.

As she approached the main hall that she had been led to the previous day, she heard voices and slowed her approach to listen in.

"--lost her around eleven. She knew I was following."

"Good going, K, years of experience clearly served you well."

"You wouldn't have done any better, M even said so!"

"Well, I don't know about that, but **I** certainly didn't fail in my mission last night."

"Oh really? So, who's our mystery man working for the Seniors?"

"Swing and a miss, Princess. Not a mystery man at all. It's a woman. Amy Hall, PhD."

"Amy Hall? Let's see what I can dig up on her."

Kim reached the large room and decided to announce her presence. "DNAmy," she said, making her way down the rows of tables. At the end she saw KP and Bonnie before M's desk, almost duplicating what she saw the first time she was down here. M, dressed in black again, was behind the desk tapping her fingers on the surface of her desk as if it were a keyboard.

"What?" asked Bonnie.

"Amy Hall is better known as DNAmy," Kim said. "Or... isn't she in your world?"

"You've run into her before?" asked M, looking up from her fingers.

"Yeah, she's a bit of a loon," said Kim. "She's a genius geneticist and biologist, but a little too obsessed with cuddly things. Or things that have been crossed with other things."

"So she's a bad guy in your world?" asked KP.

"Definitely," nodded Kim. "Though mostly because she's pretty indifferent to humanity if it gets in the way of her 'experiments.'"

"Then she hasn't fallen far from the tree," M said staring off to the side.

Kim finally reached the desk. "Why?"

"Look at this," M said, tapping on her desk again. A screen to the right of the desk lit up and showed an electronic packing receipt. "Senior Senior Senior has been getting shipments like this recently."

Bonnie looked at the screen. "Stachybotrys?"

"It's a fungus," said M. "These are research samples he's been ordering."

"I don't get it," said KP.

"The most well known form of Stachybotrys is chartarum, also known as Black Mold. It can grow anywhere there's water and produces airborne spores filled with an immunosuppressant called Trichothecene, a mycotoxin."

KP, Kim and Bonnie all stared.

"I looked it up when I saw the shipments," said M, abashed.

"So, it's a poison?" said Kim.

"Yes, but not a particularly virulent one," said M. "It's easily avoided by being clean. But, if, say, you had a genius geneticist around to tinker with the way it grows and have recently been taking in shipments for industrial grade gene sequencing machines..." she left the thought to hang.

Kim put her hand to her mouth, an action mirrored by KP.

"But," Kim started after a moment. "The Seniors don't want to destroy the world, they're usually after money or fame."

"And what better way to both than to hold the world hostage," said M.

Kim frowned. "You can't let them," she said.

M blinked. "We don't plan on it. Are we, girls?"

"No way," said Bonnie.

"Not in our town," said KP.

"Of course, we could always use trustworthy help," said M, looking to Kim. "I don't suppose you would give us a hand?"

Kim hesitated. What they were describing was genocide and she couldn't let that happen. The batteries in the Kimmunicator would charge in another six hours, but she didn't _have_ to leave as soon as they were ready. If it helped save this world from a terrible fate, it was easily worth spending a few extra hours here.

"Yes, I'll help," nodded Kim.

"Great," said M, folding her fingers.

---

Shego approached the small house as casually as she could despite her fatigue. She knew that her appearance might put her target on edge and she wanted to minimize that as much as possible. The last she needed was to have to fight her way to the front door. She suspected that nobody was really guarding him anymore, but she didn't want to take risks she didn't need to.

Reaching the porch without anyone jumping out at her, she knocked stiffly at the door and waited, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a folded piece of leather. A second later the door opened an a older black woman just slightly shorter than Shego herself answered. Shego held up the leather holder and opened it slightly.

"Ma'am, I'm agent Sullivan with the FBI," said Shego in her most bland voice. She lowered the badge before the woman could look at it closely. "I'm sorry to bother you but I was wondering if I could ask a few questions to your son."

"Again?" said the woman. "When are you going to stop coming around?"

"Ma'am, the very reason your son is in protective custody is that he has information that's valuable to us. We can't promise we'll ever stop coming by to ask questions."

The woman sighed and opened the door wider and waved Shego in. The inside of the house was just as small as the outside made it seem but everything was nearly positioned in the room at perfect angles to everything else, from the furniture to the little trophies on the shelf. It was like an OCD wet dream and for some reason it bothered Shego.

"Where is he, ma'am?" asked Shego.

The woman pointed to the back room and Shego swept across the floor making almost no sound at all. When she reached the door she knocked once and entered without waiting for a reply.

The small room was simple. A bed, a desk, and a simple computer with just enough floor room to navigate between it all. A boy laid on the bed playing a hand held video game system with one hand. His legs were laying out in front of him but they looked odd, bent at a wrong angle, but Shego tried not to pay it any attention. Shego recognized the boy from what few times she saw his image on Kim's tiny computer screen.

"Wade," said Shego, and watched as the boy suddenly jerked his head towards her and open his mouth in horror.

"S-s-s-she--!" he stuttered.

"Hold your horses," said Shego holding up her hands. "I'm not here to do anything bad to you, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Shego!" Wade finally finished.

"Yes, I'm Shego," she nodded. "Can you say your name?" she added, condescendingly.

"What are you doing here, Shego?" Wade suddenly demanded, his sputtering first attempted suddenly forgotten.

"Like I said, I just want to talk," Shego said. She stepped in and sat on the chair by the desk. "I promise, I only came to ask you some questions and then I'll be on my way."

"_Only_?" repeated Wade. "When the police come here looking for an escaped felon my identity is ruined, I'll have to move AGAIN."

"Sorry," said Shego but shrugged. "If it makes any difference, though, I think I'm still in jail. Odds are, nobody is going to come looking for me unless you call them."

"How can you be still in jail and here at the same time?" asked Wade.

Shego explained as best she could about alternate dimensions and Drakken. Much to her surprise, Wade interrupted rarely and seemed to nod along with her statements as if he knew them to be right.

"Amazing," he said when she finished. "I always hypothesized... well, to be standing before proof, though. It's incredible."

"Well, I don't got the Kimmunicator with me, that's the real proof. All you have right now is my word that I'm not telling you a fish story." She paused, then added, "Which I'm not."

"Oh, I believe you well enough," said Wade. "If you ever met this world's Shego you'd easily be able to tell the difference too."

"Hmm," said Shego, unsure if that was a compliment or not.

"I don't have any really practical experience with this sort of thing though," said Wade. "I'm not sure if I can help you."

"I'm fine with that, I just came here to ask you about a girl named 'M.'"

Wade slowly raised his head then nodded several times. "Oh, Monique."

"That's her," said Shego. "I tried to find out myself but it seems she's been almost completely erased from electronic record. Nice work, by the way."

"It could have been better," said Wade. "Old newspapers?"

"Microfiche," nodded Shego. "At the library. Took forever to search through them though. A less dedicated person might not have succeeded."

Wade nodded. "I sympathized. Her parents were criminals, ultimately, but she had little to do with it. She felt guilty, remorseful that she had lived so well on the pains of others. I wanted to help. I... kinda, fell for her."

"You couldn't have been more than thirteen," said Shego. "She was a little old for you."

"What does a thirteen-year-old know about boundaries? She was looking for a way to make things right, and I though I'd come up with a way. She could use her family's contacts, her deep understanding of the underworld to turn things on their head, stop the needless violence. I wanted to build a utopia!"

"Hah," laughed Shego. "Utopia. Sounds to me like you were setting up an aristocracy, just you and her, intending to dole out favors to those you liked and take from those you didn't. No than the mafia itself."

"We had better intentions!" Wade was animated. "You don't need to be a genius to see how the rich treat the poor."

"The trade of riches between the haves and have-nots is what drives economy," said Shego. "It makes our world work."

"You just say that because you're a thief." Wade looked away. "You don't have to struggle at a thankless job just to get enough money to keep water running to your home."

Shego sneered at him silently while his face was turned, but reigned herself back and tried to calm. "But that's not really what Monique intended to do."

Wade shook his head and looked down at his lap. "No," he said softly. "She had a different plan. And when I found out..." he looked up to Shego and raised his hand, the one that hadn't been holding the video game. It looked twisted, broken, and Wade could barely move it beyond the wrist. "She made it clear that my services weren't required anymore."

Shego's eyes widened but Wade continued on. "So I sold out to the Feds for protection, but even with my help they couldn't build a case."

A pang of worry struck Shego. "What was M trying to do then?" she asked.

---

Kim felt uneasy about the plan M had come up with. Things in this dimension didn't work the way they did back home. If she'd uncovered the sort of nefarious plot that the Seniors and DNAmy were pulling she'd just bust in, run through any traps Senior had left for her, and destroy whatever equipment DNAmy was using to make her poison fungus thing. The cops would come in and take them away.

But here, the way M described it, they had to be stealthy, quiet. They had to get pictures and evidence that proved DNAmy was performing genetic manipulation on deadly fungi and then use that as leverage to ether convince Senior to stop or go to the FBI to build a case against them and confiscate the resources. It was ... not at all what Kim was used to.

Apparently, though, it was something KP and Bonnie had down pretty well. While Kim was climbing through air ducts, KP and Bonnie were walking through the front door, using assumed identities and confidence tricks to get access to the floors they wanted. Kim had never been one for costumes and, to be fair, they rarely worked in her favor. To be able to slip in and out of different identities and play on people's weaknesses and ignorances to talk your way into a building, it all just rang false to Kim. Was this really how heroes were supposed to act in this world?

Kim pushed herself onto the sixth floor and allowed herself a brief moment to catch her breath. Climbing air ducts was much harder than it ever was portrayed in the movies. They're flimsy, loud if you're not careful, and, on a cool day like today, uncomfortably hot. A sound chirped in her ear and she touched a small pad pinned to her collar.

"They're in," a voice came through her earpiece. It was M's voice. "They're heading up to eight."

"That was fast," said Kim. "Why couldn't I come that way again?"

"Two is easier to talk through than three. Not to mention our only option would be to pass you off as KP's twin sister which, again, raises suspicions and makes it harder." M paused for a breath. "Also, you told us you were no good at those sorts of activities."

Kim wiped her brow. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm excited to go crawling through the bowels of the building."

"Where are you?" M said, back to business.

"Floor six. Just taking a breather."

"That's pretty fast as well," commented the voice in her ear. "But you'd better get moving to eight so you can meet them on the opposite side of the security gate."

"Yeah yeah," said Kim, and tapped the pad again to mute her side of the connection.

She shifted her weigh to start climbing again when she heard voices and froze. She knew better than the move around in these loud ducts when people were nearby so she held her breath and waited it out.

The voices drifted up easily through small gratings along the ducting.

"--nearly as fast as I'd hoped." A woman's voice... high pitched. Sounded like DNAmy to Kim but she figured chances were it wasn't. She just wanted it to be.

"Father is patient, so take your time." This time a man's voice... young, with an accent. Kim leaned in to listen closer. It could have been Junior.

"I figured he would be, a slight mistake and half the population of the world could die," the woman said.

"Only half?" asked the man. "Our estimates put it higher."

"Arid climates slow it down," explained the woman. Her voice was quickly getting softer as she moved further away from where Kim was. "The middle east would probably survive as probably large portions of North Africa."

"We'll have to consider delivery mechanisms for those areas then should the need arise," the man said. "I wish we could get more support but a crime of this magnitude..." the voice drifted completely outside of Kim's ability to hear.

That was definitely DNAmy and Senior Senior Junior, Kim thought to herself. They were talking about the poison, just like M has guessed. But everything was supposed to be on the eighth floor, why were they down here? Was the information wrong? Or was there something else sensitive on this floor that M didn't know about?

Kim felt the sweat beading on her brow and tried to rationalize. They weren't just going after criminals they were trying to stop a worldwide epidemic. If just a little bit of the poison got out, it could be disastrous. If there was something unknown on this floor and it turned out to be important everyone would suffer. Kim owed it to this world to make sure.

She adjusted her grip and turned to head along the ductwork on the sixth floor.

Besides, she thought, KP and Bonnie were experts at this, they really didn't need her help anyway.

Despite her best tries, though, Kim couldn't exactly figure out where DNAmy and Junior had gone from the ceiling ducts and was forced to climb down into the halls to trace their path. Once she started walking along and looking around, she realized where she was. Administration. The labs and test areas, the places that could be identified by packages and shipments, were on eight. But management and research were here, two floors down.

She walked towards where she remembered the elevators being in the building. If she was lucky, there would be a directory there for visitors, listing who was on the floor and what their office number was. In the distance she heard a 'ding' and quickly moved to follow the sound.

She turned a corner sharply and saw the tuft of color out of the corner of her eye just too late to dodge out of the way.

"Oouuff!" "Aack!"

Kim toppled but regained her balance at the last moment. The person she ran into was not as graceful and landed with a heavy thump. Kim looked back quickly and nearly felt her hair go straight.

She's run right into DNAmy.

"Oww," DNAmy said, rubbing her thigh as Kim stared, her brain going a mile a minute. "Ooh, that's going to leave a bruise."

Did she know her? Or rather, did her alternate self know her? KP didn't seem to recognize the name back at M's place, but that didn't mean she wasn't well known enough that Amy would recognize her. Should she run? Or wasn't she well known enough that she could fake her way out of it? What would be the best test to--

"My golly, you look like you ran into a ghost!" DNAmy suddenly said as she slowly tried to pick herself up. "Are you alright there, girl?"

Kim blinked and returned to her senses. "Er- yeah! Yeah, I'm sorry," Kim said, and held out her hand. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Can I help you?"

Amy took her hand and Kim pulled her back to her feet then picked up the scattered papers that the scientist was carrying and passed them back. "Did I hurt you?" asked Kim, sympathetically.

"No, no, just a small bruise," said Amy. "What got you in such a rush?"

"Oh, I was just looking for ..." Kim scrambled. "Mr. Senior Junior's office to get ... a copy of the order for the shipment downstairs. Some things look missing and I wanted to make sure it was all there before I let the shippers go." Kim had opened her mouth and spouted whatever came to mind but now that she'd stopped it almost sounded good.

"Oh, I just came from there," said DNAmy. "I can take you there--"

"If you could just direct me?" interrupted Kim, not wanting an escort when she's supposed to be sneaking. "I would really appreciate it."

"Well, it's just over there," Amy pointed. "Six thousand, at the northeast corner."

Kim nodded and smiled. "Thanks ma'am," she said. "I'm sorry, again."

"Think nothing of it, dear," said Amy with a smile. "No harm done." She turned and headed towards the elevators while Kim turned and went in the direction she pointed.

After Kim was certain she was out of sight, she stopped and breathed. Somehow she'd bluffed her way out there, but that wasn't the odd part. It was DNAmy's behavior that spooked her. She was downright kind and friendly, not at all like the crazed, obsessed, Cuddle Buddy enthusiast she was in Kim's world. Kim tried to remember times that Amy acted normal but had a hard time remembering the villain's actions at all. Sure, she'd had a few run ins with her over the years but, all things considered, she was second tier. Compared to the trouble Drakken, Shego, Monkey Fist, and the Seniors caused her, DNAmy was just a footnote.

Kim felt guilty about thinking that way but it was just practical. The villains who caused the most trouble she knew the most about. The ones who only came to her attention once in a while... well...

With a deliberate sigh, Kim pushed the thoughts about her villains out of the way and focused on her situation now. She couldn't very well go into Junior's office when he was in there. But she knew there had to be something useful in there. Distribution plans, like he indicated, or a paper trail that could pin him and his father up for good in court. M had mentioned earlier that their primary goal was evidence, and that would be better than any samples of the genetic work upstairs.

Kim composed herself and continued towards where Amy had directed her. She saw Juniors office but instead of approaching she knocked on the office next to his. Waiting for a response but getting none, Kim pushed open the door and crept inside, closing it behind her. Here, at least, she could wait until Junior left and then sneak in. It was safer, if slower, and reduced the chances she'd get caught.

She sat down with her back to the wall in case she could hear anything. A gentle breeze brushed down her neck and she shivered, looking up. An air circulation grating was above her, just like the one she climbed through to get to the floor. If that ran over Junior's office too...

---

M pressed the button on her desk again and waited, but nothing happened. Frowning, she pushed the button next to it and waited again. This time there was a quiet chirp in response and the button started glowing green.

"KP, I can't reach Kim," M said. "Last I talked to her she was on the sixth floor."

"Think she was caught?" a voice came through the speakers embedded in M's desk.

"It's possible. In the very least she's probably in trouble or her radio wouldn't be off. See if you can find her. The last thing we need is for her to set off any alarms."

"All right, we'll take a look."

The glowing button got dim again and M steepled her fingers again.

"Where's Kim?"

M looked up to see Shego approaching her desk from the tunnels leading to KP's house. M shook her head. "She's helping me out with something."

"Figures," Shego rolled her eyes, walking down between the rows of tables. "Can't trust her to keep her fingers out of anything, she's always got to get involved."

"This is pretty important," said M, rocking back and forth in her chair but never taking her eyes off the dimensional thief. "The fate of the world could be in the balance."

"Hah," laughed Shego sharply. "It always seems to be, doesn't it?"

M narrowed her eyes. "Where did you go off to?"

"Around," shrugged Shego. She, too, never took her eyes of M as she approached the desk. "Wanted to explore this brave new world."

"What did you find?"

"There's no place like home," said Shego.

"Didn't expect to hear such sentiments from you," M said. "Our Shego acts like she'd embrace an opportunity to leave this world behind for a new one."

"Well, as we keep finding out, everything is different where we come from." Shego walked around to the side of M's desk and leaned against it. "Where is Kim?"

"I told you, she's doing some work for me."

"Where?" insisted Shego.

"No way," M shook her head. "You go barging in there you'll ruin this operation."

Shego made a half-smile. "Uncharacteristically, I'm trying to be polite with you," she said slowly. Her hands suddenly ignited into bright balls of burning green light. "I don't have to be."

"That's starting to sound more familiar," said M, unfazed. "I'm still telling you nothing."

Shego stared M down, her hands burning hot but not moving. Then Shego's eyes finally left M's and looked down at the large desk. Several monitors had been inlaid into the surface and one of them was showing the schematics for a building.

"That looks like the Carver building, downtown. Not too far from where we dropped on top of your two precious girls, if I'm not mistaken." Shego looked back up to M.

M grit her teeth but continued to stare menacingly at Shego. "It's called the Forescythe Building here."

Shego's green flames died away and the older woman just turned and started to leave.

"You go there and you're putting Kim in danger!" M called after her.

Shego kept walking but raised her hand up to wave as she reached the tunnel. "I'm sure she expects as much from me by now." With a swift step she disappeared into the dark tunnel.

M didn't even have a minute to recover before she heard the chirp and Kim's communicator light blazed to life.

"HEY! I need some help here!" Kim's urgent voice called out. "KP? Bonnie? I'm in the northeast corner of the sixth floor!"

M stared at the glowing light. First Shego and now Kim. Those two turned out to be much more trouble than they were worth. Right from the start she should have just...

Punching the button next to the glowing one, M spoke loudly. "Did you get that, girls?"

"Yeah, we're already on our way," Bonnie's voice came back. "Northeast corner six, we'll let you know what we find."

"Thank you," said M and released the button, letting it go dark once more.

---

KP and Bonnie stepped onto the sixth floor with trepidation, but didn't see a commotion nor even a single person rushing past. Given the alarm that Kim had raised, they have expected to find an armed guard just outside the stairwell waiting. But no, there was no welcoming party and it appeared as though nobody knew anything was wrong. It made KP nervous.

Not that she wanted trouble, but if there was going to be some, she'd like to be able to see it coming, instead of being blindsided by it. Noting the casual workers in cubicles to Bonnie the two stepped out of the emergency stairwell and casually walked down the rows of desks to the back wall and then towards the northeast corner.

The door was closed and no noise was escaping, but that didn't mean there wasn't trouble beyond. The room could be soundproofed or it could be a trap laid waiting for them. Bonnie put her ear to the wall and then the door, listening for any sign. She shrugged when she heard nothing. KP nervously looked back and forth to see if they had attracted any attention. They couldn't stand outside this office forever. They had to make a choice. Enter, or not.

KP chose to make sure her counterpart and temporary teammate was safe and pushed open the door. It swung wide and revealed a well furnished, large, but apparently empty office. KP looked confused and motioned for Bonnie to follow her. They stepped into the office carefully, checking every direction, even above, for attack. But nothing came.

"You sure this was the right office?" said KP looking back at Bonnie.

There was a flash of movement and suddenly something struck Bonnie from behind sending her toppling forward into KP. KP tried to keep her balance but with the extra weight of Bonnie on her she fell back to the ground before the large dark cherry desk in the office. With a somewhat loud slam the door to the office closed and their attacker, who had followed them in, locked it behind them.

KP looked up expecting to see any number of nefarious villains but instead saw her temporary teammate holding up a gun.

"Kim?" asked KP, completely confused. She moved to get up but Kim waved the gun at her.

"Don't move," Kim said with a serious look on her face.

"A gun?" said KP. "I didn't think you were--"

Kim interrupted her quickly. "It's just a stun gun, but it'll hurt quite a bit and leave you in quite a compromised state unless you do exactly what I say."

"Looks like we were right about you," sneered Bonnie as she rolled off of KP but made no effort to get up. "So who are you working for? Drakken? Director?"

"I'm not working for any..." Kim trailed off and got a surprised look on her face. "Director? You mean the Global Justice woman? She's evil here?"

"Global Justice?" said Bonnie.

"Never mind," said Kim. "No, I'm not working for anyone, I just need to get to the bottom of this and you're going to help me."

"What do you want?" asked KP angrily.

"I want to know if you knew what this was really about," said Kim.

"What _what_ was really about?" said Bonnie.

"This mission. This business with DNAmy and the Seniors, did you know the truth or were you told the same as me?" said Kim.

"We were _ALL_ told the same things," said KP. "You're the one who's clearly working on an alternate script."

Kim shook her head. "I won't hesitate to shoot you with this thing if you aren't honest with me."

"I'm BEING honest with you!" yelled KP back. "I have no idea what this is about!"

Kim stared at them, her eyes flicking back and forth between KP and Bonnie like a metronome. Then she behind herself and pulled out a folder. "Here," she said, and tossed it in front of the two.

"What's this?" asked Bonnie as KP looked down to open the manila folder.

"The fungus plan," said Kim, feeling a little silly that she didn't have a better name for it. "It outlines Senior Senior Senior's work with Dr. Amy Hall to develop a genetically divergent, more resilient strand of the Stachybotrys."

"So what?" asked Bonnie. "We knew that already."

Kim shook her head. "Except Amy's trying to engineer it not to contain the mycotoxin, but to be a carrier for a retrovirus. She's not making a _poison_, she's making a _cure_."

Bonnie frowned and then looked down to read over KP's shoulder. After a couple minutes the red-head looked up. "This file has to have been doctored," she said. "They're just trying to hide their tracks until they're ready to release their weapon."

Kim shook her head and lowered the stun gun. "Why keep a doctored file in their own records?" she asked. "I admit, I was ready to jump to the worst conclusion earlier. But M, this... makes me second guess that. Did anyone even look into Amy, see if that sort of behavior is consistent with her personality? I mean, she's a bit crazy in my world, but there are clearly lots of differences here."

"I'm sure M looked her up," said KP again.

"Maybe," said Kim. "But either way, the evidence we were looking for doesn't support the crime M talked about. We should get out of here."

"We should keep looking, find the real file," said Bonnie, looking up from the folder.

"And what if there's no real file to find?" asked Kim. "Just keep looking until you get caught? You may want to spend the night in jail but I'm getting out of here."

Kim turned and unlocked the door she was standing in front of and quietly slipped out of the room.

---

Getting out of a building when no alarms have been tripped is always easier than getting in, Kim realized as she walked right out the front door. She hated leaving them behind, as well as abandoning a mission, but nothing about it felt right. There were too many unanswered questions, too many open variables. She just couldn't tell if they were doing the right thing or not and she didn't want to take the risk.

"Still alive, huh, Princess?"

Kim looked startled as Shego stepped up next to her just as she reached the street. She tried to hide her surprised behind a raised brow. "I thought you were going to come rescue this," said Kim, patting her pocket that the Kimmunicator sat in.

"Seems you did fine on your own," said Shego. "By the way, your M character is crooked."

Kim sighed. "Yeah, I think so."

Shego hesitated. "Wasn't always, though," she added. "Got lost in her own mission. Forgot what was important."

"Oh yeah?" said Kim, indignant. "What's that? Always look out for yourself?"

Shego looked away. "Don't let others define what's right for you."

Kim froze, surprised. "I... uh..."

"Does it matter?" Shego turned back. "It's time we got out of here."

Kim reached into her pocket and pulled out the Kimmunicator. Depressing a single button the screen blazed to life with the words:

BATTERY CHARGED

Kim nodded slowly. "I would have liked to have stuck around," she said. "See if it made a difference."

"We'll be looking for Drakken forever if you do," said Shego. "Twenty-four hours, that's all we need to be here for, that's all we should be."

Kim typed in her password, the combination for her locker back home. "Ready?" she asked. Shego nodded and Kim opened the gateway.

The swirling mass of light and sound was staggering. As the two stared into it's maw Kim looked back to Shego again.

"At least we know the landings are going to be rough," she said.

"Lucky us," snipped Shego, and leapt, unhesitating, away from this world.

Kim was about to follow when she felt like she was being watched. She looked back to see KP and Bonnie standing in the doorway of the Forescythe Building in awe of the gateway. Kim smiled at them.

"It's just my opinion," Kim yelled back to them. "But heroes probably shouldn't work in secret." She smiled. "You'll figure it out, though."

And then she dove in.

--- AFTERMATH ---

M steeled herself when she heard the footsteps. She knew that Bonnie and KP would be looking for answers when they returned and she had to be ready. It was all for the greater good, she'd convinced herself, she just had to convince them. It wouldn't be that hard, she justified, they had gone along with her for this many years, she deserved at least a little benefit of the doubt.

As the steps approached, however, she realized they were uneven, staggered, not the sound a pair of athletic, healthy spies would make on the cold metal floor. M looked up and paled.

"Wade," she squeaked.

Wade Load hobbled forward, a brace on his arm extending to a cane offering support to his broken leg. His other arm was hidden from view, twisted behind him like a butler, but M didn't need to see that arm to know what it looked like now.

Finally Wade made it to the desk and looked up at M. She expected to see contempt in his face, anger, unbridled rage, but instead she saw sympathy. It nearly broke her heart.

When he said nothing and just stared at her, M felt the pressure in her chest but there were no words, nothing she could say that would make a difference.

"I'm sorry," she managed feebly.

"Was it worth it?" asked Wade, his first words since entering.

M looked down and tried to gather all the strength she had left in herself to bring it to bear. Her eyes blazed one more time. "The world needs its caretakers, or it would destroy itself," she said.

"Yes, the 'greater good,'" Wade replied. "I wonder though, if you really believe that." He limped over to a nearby chair and dragged it over to the desk. With a few seconds of fumbling, he managed to unfold it and sit comfortably. "Your parents did what they did for the greater good as well and you found contempt in them."

"They were smarter than me," said M. "I only realized it after they were... gone."

"Gone by your hand," reminded Wade. "You leaked their safe-house to the mob."

M breathed slowly. "I was young and stupid. It was a mistake. Everyone makes those."

"And me?" asked Wade. "Was I a mistake too? Do you dispose of anyone who you're embarrassed about?"

"It wasn't like that!" pleaded M, losing her composure. "You found out about what I did, you would have brought everything down!"

"And I did try," said Wade. "But I'd given you too many good tools and you defeated my efforts."

"I keep the balance," insisted M. "You can't change the way the machine works! People will always strive for money and power, there will ALWAYS be people who have more than others. Its how the world works! How humanity is! If you try to change that, everything -- economy, politics, _civilization_ -- everything collapses! But if you influence the people with power, control where they use their money, you can make life better for everyone."

Wade shook his head. "The justification for good people to do bad things." He leaned his chin on the top of his brace. "It can't go on, Monique."

"Who is going to do what needs to be done?" asked M. "If Senior Senior Senior completed his universal vaccine and released it BILLIONS of dollars would be lost to the pharmaceutical industry causing tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of people to lose their jobs, maybe their homes and families. Is that right? Is THAT good?"

"Change is painful," said Wade, looking down his leg. "But if you're really making the world a better place, then there will be people to help them get through it, instead of ruthlessly trying to profit from it."

M scowled. "You can't possible be that optimistic. How much help have you gotten in your life? How many people were there for you when YOU needed help? Who saved you when you felt lost and alone?"

Wade looked up with clear eyes. "You did, once," he said.

M looked stricken. Wade pushed himself back up onto his feet and limped back over to her. He reached for her hand with his mangled arm. "And now I will be here for you."

"For... me?" asked M, but the sounds from the tunnels had already reached her ears. Again it wasn't the sound of her two girls, dutifully traveling through the narrow network. It sounded louder, much louder, like the sound of dozens of men in boots tromping through the tunnels with a mission already known.

"What about KP and Bonnie?" M looked to Wade, alarmed. "What about my girls?"

Wade hushed her. "They're okay, they know not to come back. They don't need to go down for this. They're innocent, not like us." Wade did his best to gather her in his short arms.

M leaned her head against him as the sound got louder, echoing off the walls, like thunder. "I just was trying to make things better," she cried.

"They will be," Wade said, looking sternly down the hall as the first of the uniformed men burst from the tunnels and into their once private sanctum.

* * *

AFTERWORD:

Throughout this piece I struggled with the tone and motivations of M. Was she good? Evil? What sort of world did she have to live in to turn Team Possible into an agency of espionage rather than a Superman-esque force for good?

Ultimately, I'm not satisfied with what I did here. The focus of this alternate world was supposed to be about Bonnie and Kim working as a successful team but somehow the character of M became much more intriguing to me after I introduced her. Bonnie fell to the wayside and became little more than a cipher like KP. I'll just have to give Bonnie her own chapter later on in this series. It's the only _fair_ think to do.

Next Time - PART III: Love Dies.


	4. Part 3: SLOW COLLAPSE

Author's Note: Meh. I'm not quite satisfied with this, but it's not bad. I tried to deal with the multiple characters with the same name as best as I could, but I could see how there would be some confusion. Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like some clarification, but I think there's enough context to tell whose talking at any given time. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Kim lay silently on the bed, the highest quality silk beneath her, cradling her form like soft hands made of clouds. Staring at her, Ron thought for the hundredth time that she looked like an angel. Each hair was carefully combed, strung into that little swoop across the right side of her head, framing her face in a flow of burnt red.

The room around the two of them might as well have not existed for as little as it mattered to its occupants. Ron, the only awake one, had his attention fixed solely on Kim. He raised a hand to brush her cheek slightly and feel the soft curve of her skin one last time. There was a rough spot just below the cheekbone where the small nest of scars lay.

"I'm leaving," he said so softly the words barely left his mouth. "I know I should have left a while ago, but as long as you weren't going to stop me..."

Kim was silent.

"I made a mistake and you got hurt," he admitted. "I know you say it's not my fault but... I ... I don't believe you. I'm sorry, I can't believe you. I can see exactly what I should have done to stop it and it was completely within my power. I was just..."

Ron trembled. "I was afraid. I'm always afraid. I try to act anyway but sometimes... I can't help myself. No, that's not true. I can, but it's easier not to. It's easier to let you take responsibility. It's easier to be the fool. Then nothing you say or do has to matter if you don't want it to."

He pressed his closed hands into his forehead. Kim refused to turn towards him in the slightest and let him sit there shaking for several minutes. Eventually he stopped on his own and raised his head once more. "This is not what I wanted to say."

"Like I said, I'm leaving," Ron returned to the beginning again. "I'm not sure where I'm heading, but I have a bit of an idea. I don't want to say, not that I think you'll tell anyone, but... if this is the last time we speak, I'd hate to think I'd given you the wrong idea." He laughed sardonically.

With a step back, he lowered his head respectfully. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. Thanks for... putting up with me." And before Kim could say a word, he was already walking away, crossing the short hall to the large doors in the back.

With a gentle push, he opened them and entered the waiting room beyond. An elderly man sitting on a bench in the room looked up and adjusted his glasses. "Have you finished?" he said.

Ron nodded abruptly. "Yeah, I'm done. You can do it."

"Are there any other members of the party who wish to give their respects?" asked the old man.

"No, I'm the last," said Ron.

"Very well then," nodded the old man. With a heave, he pushed himself onto his feet. "I met her once, you know. A year or so back. A bus I was riding on in Montana had faulty brakes and she kept us from crashing into a building."

"She was kinda helpful like that," said Ron, absently.

"The world is lesser from her loss," he old man asserted.

"I know." Ron didn't wait for a reply and simply turned and left.

The old man watched him leave with sad eyes. "The young always hurt the most," he said to himself. Then he walked through the doorway towards the bed upon which Kim's body lay.

--------------

PART III: Slow Collapse

--------------

Traveling through the shimmering corridor between dimensions was like body surfing on a circular wave. It would shift and undulate with ripples as Shego and Kim flew down it, picking up speed with each passing moment. They were never quite sure how much time they spent in that state, flying through rings of vibrant color, before suddenly, violently crashing upon the dimensional shore and being thrust into reality again.

The hard group flew up into Kim's face before she had a chance to react and felt the old stone sharply against her skull when she landed, shooting pain through her body and making her see stars. Her vision blurred as she tried to pick her head up to look around.

"Unnng..." she groaned. "Shuuggo? Y'there?"

The slow sound of clothes rubbing drew Kim's attention, but to the best of her ability she could only make out a dark blob. She gripped her head tightly to stop the spinning.

"I hate this..." the blob said with a slight groan. Kim recognized the voice as Shego's and was glad that they hadn't gotten separated during transit like they had after the explosion of Drakken's dimensional drill.

"Where... are-wee?" asked Kim, finally feeling the throbbing behind her eyes dull slightly.

Shego blinked and tried looking around for herself. Unlike Kim, she'd managed not to land on her head, but her shoulder was now aching like she's fractured her collarbone. The room was strangely decorated for most, but Shego found it strangely comforting. Then she realized why and felt her stomach turn.

"Oh god," Shego said, rolling her eyes. Then she felt nauseous and forced herself to stare straight ahead. "I think we're in one of Drakken's hideouts."

Kim blanched. "Does it look like it's still in use?" she asked.

"Use your own damn eyes!" snapped Shego.

Kim grumbled and forced herself through the pain to focus on her surroundings. They were clearly in one of Drakken's cave-like lairs. Signs of his random mechanical experiments as well as the trademark two-story-tall computer consoles lay scattered across the room. Chairs, papers and little bits of plastic and metal had been strew about, as if someone had fled in a hurry, but the computer consoles were still on and humming away happily.

Pushing herself to her feet, Kim swayed lightly, trying to keep her balance. The world seemed to be spinning and she put a hand over her face until it stopped.

"'At least we know the landings are rough,'" sneered Shego from the floor. "Fat lot of good that did."

The world stabilized for Kim and she started taking a few experimental steps. "I'm going to look around, see if anyone's here."

She made another successful step when suddenly she felt a vice-like grip on her leg and she fell to the ground again. She looked up to see Shego staring at her with a vicious scowl on her face.

"Shego? What are--"

"Listen here, Princess," Shego said sharply. "We need to set up some ground rules, here."

"Rules?" said Kim in disbelief. "Since when are you a fan of rules?"

"Since now, because suddenly YOU'RE the reckless one."

"Me? I'm the reckless one?"

"Tell me what Wade told us before we left that ... hell-future?" asked Shego.

Kim stared back with a puzzled expression. "That every world will be different?"

Shego sighed angrily. "He said not to tell anyone we're from another dimension. Now remind me what the first thing you did was when we got to the last world?"

"If you recall," Kim said, taking on a lecturing tone. "We were standing right in front of our doubles, what would YOU have said?"

"Your double, not mine," said Shego. "And I would not have immediately jumped to 'alternate reality' if I could have avoided it."

"Yeah, because, you know, we have such a great track record with clones," Kim rolled her eyes. "They'd have attacked us just for mentioning it."

"We don't know that," said Shego. "Every world is different, you just said that. In any case, we should NOT get involved again. You put the TDF in danger by going on that stupid mission for Ms. Too-Cool-For-My-School and while I can care less if you live or die, I refuse to be stranded here."

"It's going to be real boring if we just find a cave and hide on each world until we find Drakken," said Kim. "Not to mention food, water, bathrooms, new clothes..."

"We don't have to be hermits," snapped Shego. "But if you are going to 'save' every world we go to, I demand you give me that TDF and tell me your locker combination."

"You _demand_?" asked Kim. She pushed herself onto her feet again. "Why? So you can leave without me next time? I don't think so."

"Oh, and I'm supposed to just trust you for old times sake?" asked Shego.

"Well, yeah, I'm the good guy, remember?" asked Kim, feeling a little foolish using such distinctions as 'good guy' and 'bad guy' but lacking any better argument. "You're the evil thief who has, I might add, tried to kill me on multiple occasions. Not at lot of trust there."

"All I want to do is get home," said Shego, standing as well. "Odds are you're going to know the people who can help us get there, so I'm not going to leave you behind if I can help it."

"'If you can help it,' huh?"

"Yeah, and don't think for a second you wouldn't leave me behind if it was too much trouble," said Shego.

"I wouldn't!" said Kim, offended. "I would not leave without you."

"Why not?" asked Shego. "I'm the 'evil thief,' I'm sure nobody would look at you twice. It would be like sending me to jail forever."

"Why?" Kim puffed herself up. "First, because it's cruel and unusual punishment, which is wrong."

"Hah," scoffed Shego.

"Two, because I may need your help too in the end, since I doubt I'll be able to convince Drakken to send us home on my own."

"Yeah, he doesn't really listen to me much either..."

"And three... because this isn't your fault."

Shego paused. "Whattya mean, 'this isn't my fault?'"

"We're in this mess together," said Kim. "It's not your fault we're here, it was Drakken's crazy machine. Something went wrong accidentally, and we're stuck in this mess. That makes us a team in my book, at least until we get back. And I would never abandon my team."

Shego frowned again and looked away. "I plugged in Drakken's machine," she said slowly. "It's my fault it overloaded."

"No, it's not," Kim shook her head. "You didn't know."

"I didn't care," said Shego. "And that carelessness got me..." she trailed off. After a second, she recovered and turned back towards Kim. "If we're a team, it's your responsibility not to get us into any more trouble that we need to be. Otherwise you're putting us in unnecessary risk. Okay?"

Kim thinned her lips to a line. "Yeah, okay," she said quietly.

Shego turned away and looked around. "It's still in use," she said after a moment. "Security's still active." She walked over to one of the tall consoles and sat down.

"Security?" asked Kim. "Drakken puts house security on his lairs?"

"Well, it's mostly booby traps," said Shego, pointing at a series of status messages on the large screen. "Looks like all the hovercrafts and jets are still here too. I'm surprised someone isn't here." Shego frowned and began hitting buttons to cycle through security cameras.

"Wow, closed circuit security too," said Kim.

"Drakken has these little drones that go around and set up cameras everywhere," explained Shego. "They're as annoying as hell and impossible to keep out of my room. I always have to go around ripping out cameras every time we move into a new lair. I do NOT want some creep watching me in the bathroom or while I sleep."

"Hmm," mused Kim.

"What?" Shego said angrily.

"I was just thinking that we all have our little annoyances," said Kim, thinking of the tweebs. She watched the camera views as they flashed past. As it lingered on one of a nondescript hallway, something caught her eye just before it flashed away. "Wait, go back."

"Back to what?" asked Shego as if she just remembered Kim's presence.

"This screen here," Kim pointed to where the security cameras were flashing past. "Go back one, I think I saw something."

Shego pressed a button and the screen changed back to show the hallway again. Kim squinted as she studied it intently.

"Your face is going to stay like that," Shego said, lamely.

"There!" Kim said. She pointed at the screen. The hallway was fairly long with several doors on it which were open. A few of those open doors were spilling light into the hallway. "This one right here, I saw something move in front of the light."

Shego frowned and pressed a few more buttons on the panel. Another area on the monitor displayed a schematic of the lair and showed the location of the camera. "Residence level," said Shego. "Two floors up. Probably why they haven't heard us." She pressed another button and the camera Kim was studying stopped, then rewound. After a couple seconds the obstruction flew past the doorway again and Shego stopped the recording and played it back slowly.

"It's definitely a person," said Kim. "Whose room is that?"

"I don't know," shrugged Shego. "None of these rooms are labeled on the schematic. Could be anyone. A henchman, a prisoner, Drakken, me, anyone."

"Well, is there a camera inside the room?" asked Kim. "You said there were everywhere."

Shego pressed a few buttons and the schematic was suddenly littered with red dots showing the locations of cameras across the lair. The one room they were looking at, however, had a grey 'X' over the red dot, indicating it was inoperative.

Kim looked at Shego with her eyebrows raised.

"I don't care," said Shego in reply. "Let's just leave."

"Aren't you curious?" asked Kim.

"Curiosity killed the inter-dimensional cat," said Shego.

"We haven't met a version of you yet," said Kim idly.

"We don't need to," Shego insisted. She could see the wheels of fate spinning wildly towards her. Wasn't Kim listening when she just explained about risky decisions?

"If she's here, Drakken's probably not far away," said Kim. She started pressing buttons on the panel trying to get the security cameras to cycle again. Instead a weather report came up on the screen. It looked like a live television feed.

Shego stood abruptly. "Let's go." She turned towards one of the archways leading out of the room. The schematics she looked at earlier led her to believe it would take her to the hangar.

"Oh, like she's not going to notice when we take off with a random jet," said Kim, sarcastically. She motioned towards the screen randomly.

"I don't care if she notices, we just have to get away for twenty-four hours." Shego looked back towards Kim when she got to the door. "Stop acting like a child and--"

She stopped mid-sentence and froze in place. Kim looked at her with suspicion. "What's wrong?" she asked. The hair on the back of her neck was standing and she could almost feel trouble.

"Oh my god," Shego said, more with awe than anger. "You're dead."

Kim blinked. "No I'm not," she said, lacking any better response.

Shego pointed behind Kim at the screen. "Yeah, you are."

Kim turned to look at the screen and blanched. The weather report had ended and was now showing the news. A young anchorwoman was silently talking at the screen and on the bottom of the feed was the big letters in yellow over black:

FUNERAL FOR TEEN HERO KIM POSSIBLE

Kim's jaw dropped. "Oh, boy," she said.

---

_KIM POSSIBLE, TEEN HERO, DIES PROTECTING 17_

_Middleton - The world got a little dimmer this week as the heroic teenager and feminist icon Kim Possible, 18, died Tuesday in the process of saving seventeen scientists from an overloading Reactor sources say was accidentally rigged to explode by the global terrorist and self-proclaimed 'Mad-Scientist' Drew Lipsky, aka Dr. Drakken. Lipsky, 47, also perished in the event._

_Dr. Lewis Rothchild, a researcher at the Middleton-based Lawson Labs and one of the scientists rescued by Possible, was quoted as saying that Possible "was one of the most heroic people I've ever met. Even after [Lipsky said it was impossible to stop the supercollider she still ran in and saved Davison and Parkins before it exploded." He went on to say, "[Possible will be remembered by us for all time."_

_The incident began Tuesday afternoon when Lipsky was seen entering the Lawson Labs facility with his frequent cohort, the femme fatal known only as 'Shego.' Possible arrived on the scene with her partner Ron Stoppable shortly afterwards. Reports on the scene are unclear as to the exact events that transpired within the Labs as all digital recording devices were disabled when the supercollider exploded. However, according to Rothchild, Lipsky was intent on using the prototype Dark Matter Energy Reactor located at Lawson Labs to power a device he claimed would create a field of energy that would isolate Middleton from the rest of the Midwest and allow him to ransom it back to the United States._

_Lipsky's attempts at city-napping were foiled when Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable arrived on the scene to prevent him activating his device. During the ensuing fight between Lipsky, Shego, Possible and Stoppable the Dark Matter Reactor was damaged and began to overload, a process which, if left alone, could have destroyed the entire city of Middleton and much of the state. Possible managed to stop the overload but several periphery machines connected to the reactor began to malfunction, including the before mentioned supercollider._

_Possible and Stoppable evacuated the scientists from the lab, Possible only barely making it out with the last researcher before the supercollider started to explode. Lipsky and Shego, who continued their fight with Possible and Stoppable during the evacuation, kept the heroes from leaving the area as the labs began to burn._

_Ron Stoppable, who is currently the only eyewitness to Possible's final hour, said in a statement to the associate press that during the fight part of the surface floors of the lab collapsed into the six basement levels where the fire from the supercollider was burning brightest. At one point, Lipsky was thrown towards the burning pit and Possible leapt after him to save him. She misjudged the stability of the structural pillar she attached her grapple to which eventually collapsed under hers and Lipsky's weight bringing the remaining floors down on top of them. While Possible and Lipsky avoided being burned alive the weight of the falling rubble crushed both their bodies._

_Shego, the other remaining survivor from the fight, is currently at large and is wanted for questioning by local, federal, and international police in regards to this and many other unclosed cases._

_Kim Possible has been involved in several hundred heroic deeds since she began her 'babysitting job' (as she referred to it once in an interview) when she was twelve. Despite her age and relative lack of supernatural ability, she is often referred to as the world's more capable hero, even beyond such super teams as Go City's 'Team Go.' Her partner and boyfriend Ron Stoppable has been with her since the beginning of her heroic side job and has been friends with Kim since they met at age five._

_Kim leaves behind her above mentioned boyfriend Ron, her parents Drs. Judy and James Possible, her brothers Tim and Jim, a host of friends, and a very large collection of allies and acquaintances most of which owe Possible their lives and/or livelihoods._

_The memorial service is planned for Friday and is expected to be a full military burial and include statements from several members of state and foreign assembly; self-proclaimed heroes from around the world; and a closing address from Robert Calhoun, President of the world renowned CERN laboratory on behalf of the many dozens of scientists and researchers she's saved over the last five years._

---

Kim stared at the article Shego culled from the online news websites, her mouth open and long gone dry. Dead. Her. For some reason she found it harder to believe here than back in that hellish world she first found herself in. At least there she could have blamed it on the whole world going sour and knew that she was only one of many who had ended up vanishing forever. But here, in a world not different from her own, where she hadn't disappeared but just gotten unlucky once... it was almost too real for her grasp.

"Sorry," Shego said regrettably. "But you asked."

"I can't believe it," said Kim, shaking her head.

"Believe it," said Shego. "It's going to happen to you someday, too. Maybe not like this, but somehow. You can't live like you do... like we do, without this being the end."

Kim shivered. "I guess so..." she said uneasily.

"You sure you want to know more about this world?" asked Shego. Kim said nothing. "Its better we just get out of here and stay low. Head for Bora Bora or someplace. We can't have people recognizing either of us right now." Shego stood up from the console again.

"Wait," Kim said as Shego turned to leave. "What about you?"

"What do you mean, what about me? The cops, feds, everyone is looking for me right now. I can't show my face any more than you can."

Kim shook her head. "No, I mean the other you. The you from this world. She's just hiding in her room in an empty lair."

"So?" asked Shego, not getting the point. "If it were me I'd probably be packing to go on the lam."

"Drakken just died in front of her, though," said Kim. "Don't you think she'd be sad or emotional or something? Shouldn't we do something for her?"

Shego blinked. "I'm not sure you quite understand the relationship Drakken and I had. Imagine the way a scientist might view a mouse he puts in a maze to experiment on. Then imagine Drakken's the mouse and I'm the scientist. If the mouse dies, you just get a new mouse."

"I find it hard to believe even you would be that heartless," frowned Kim. "You practically lived with him for four years."

"Believe it, Princess." Shego looked annoyed. "Besides, what are we going to do? Neither of us are going to be exactly a comforting sight. You're dead and she's going to think I'm a clone or a Bebe or something."

"We can't just do nothing," said Kim.

"It's not our responsibility to do something!" Shego yelled, getting agitated.

"It was never my responsibility to stop those floods or mudslides, or rescue those people from the fires. It was never really my responsibility to stop Monkey Fist from amassing a monkey army, or Senior Senior Senior from trying to ransom the world! It was never my responsibility to stop YOU and Drakken from building bombs, ray guns, stealing technology or enslaving the world! I did it because it was right, not because it was my obligation!" Kim was yelling now, far louder than Shego had been. "And you KNOW it made the world a better place! You know that I'm better off, the world is better off, and even YOU are better off that I always came to stop your crazy plans rather than just waiting for the police to make a move. Tell me I'm wrong! Tell me that I should have let you run crazy!"

Shego clenched her jaw but couldn't build the anger in her gut to rebut her. She wanted to scream at her and punch her in the face for the nonsense she was saying. She'd never had trouble building that ire before, it practically flowed freely within her, the distain for Kim Possible and her egoist ways.

But... she couldn't. The more she tried to hate her now the more guilty she felt and it squashed even the smallest flame of rebellion in her breast. She hadn't so much as thrown a punch since this whole journey began and she knew exactly why. It was that damn first world she still saw whenever she closed her eyes. It was the echos of pain she felt in her arms and chest when she moved or breathed. It was every reminder of the world that had decayed into anarchy and barbarism because she --and no one else -- had been given the power to get her way.

She couldn't give in to her wants anymore. Every time she did it would bring her closer to that animal who ruined the world. She wouldn't become like that. She could not! She had that evil within her, she knew it now for sure, but until her dying breath she would do everything she could to keep it bound and gagged tightly inside of her, never to see the light of day.

Damn that world for making her hate herself.

And damn Kim Possible for forcing her to remember.

Shego turned away from Kim, unable to come up with anything to say. Several agonizing minutes passed in silence where Shego was waiting for Kim to say more, to make her feel worse, but the words never came. And soon, Kim's angered breathing passed and the tension in the room was once more palpable.

Then, without warning, Kim spoke again. "Look--"

But she was immediately interrupted by someone else.

"What the hell?"

Kim and Shego turned simultaneously with incredible speed towards the source of the voice. On the opposite side of the room from the door leading to the hangers, standing a few steps in front of another archway, was another Shego, dressed entirely in black.

The world hung in silence for a few seconds as the dimensional travelers' minds raced to predict what the native Shego would do. A mixture of emotions flew across that Shego's face before a strange, almost wounded expression settled.

"Kimmie?" she said weakly.

"Not... exactly," Kim said experimentally, then looked to her Shego for support. There was none to be found.

The Shego in black eyed her counterpart and immediately became more guarded. "Who are you?" she said unevenly, as if not yet sure what she should feel.

"It's complicated," said Kim. "I'm not sure there's a good enough explanation that you'd believe."

"We're not clones, or robots," added the trans-dimensional Shego. "Though if we were, I'm pretty sure we'd say we weren't anyway."

"Not helping," Kim said in a faux-sugary voice.

"How did you get in here?" the Shego in black said, growing increasingly angry.

"Listen," the trans-dimensional Shego stepped forward. "We're not here to cause trouble. We ended up here by accident and we're leaving. You don't have to worry." She held up her hands in a guarded manner.

"But if there's anything we can do for you..." started Kim.

Her Shego shot a furious glance at her. "Dammit, Princess!"

"What? She just witnessed Drakken's and Kim's death... _my_ death! You don't think that's painful at all?"

"No, I don't," her Shego said through gritted teeth. "Because you're just an annoyance and Drakken wasn't much better. NOT TO MENTION that it wasn't your death, and it isn't any of our business so we shouldn't get involved!"

"Are you two, like, ghosts or something?" asked the Shego in black, now more puzzled looking.

"No," said Kim at the same time her Shego said "Sure." They stared at each other, clearly annoyed.

"Do you need time to get your story straight?" asked the Shego in black.

"We're from an alternate reality," Kim blurted.

"Dammit!" cursed the Shego arguing with her.

"One where, obviously, I'm still alive," continued Kim. "We ended up in this world by accident just now and trying to understand what's happening."

"Riiight," said the Shego in black, slowly. She was clearly humoring her.

"I'm serious," said Kim. "What other explanation is there for me being here, when you just saw me die?"

"Um, robots, clones, time travel, chameleon fields, shape shifters, and possibly some of the alcohol I had last night," said the Shego in black, checking each off an invisible list as she went along.

"I could have told you that," said the Shego with Kim.

"Wow, two of you in the same room is much more annoying that I would have expected," Kim sighed.

"Not nearly as annoying as two of you in the last world," said her Shego.

"_Two_ Kim Possibles?" asked the Shego in black. "That must have been hell."

The trans-dimensional Shego looked uneasy for a second then replied. "Something like that." She stared at her counterpart for a second. "Look, let's just talk for a second and clear this up now that Kim has blurted everything out." She walked casually towards the other Shego, then looked over her shoulder. "Kimmie, stay here for a sec, okay?"

Kim narrowed her eyes but nodded in assent.

---

The two Shegos walked down one of the hallways in the lair away from the room they'd left Kim in. The traveler Shego tried to seem as relaxed as possible, hoping to reduce the perception of being a threat while the local Shego made no effort to hide the fact she was ready for an attack the entire time.

"You don't have to be like that," said the traveler Shego. "I just want to talk."

"Right, and I should believe you... why?" asked the local Shego. "Oh, right, because you're _me_. And I would never lie to myself, would I?" The sarcasm dripped heavily off her voice.

"Whatever," shrugged traveler Shego and continued walking. They were heading back towards the room where she saw her counterpart in the security cameras as it was the only other place she knew about in the lair.

"I don't see how you're going to convince me of anything," said the local Shego. "It's not like I've gone to great lengths to hide my life."

"Yes you have," said the traveler Shego. "If you're anything like me you made every effort to disassociate yourself with your past, especially your 'Team Go' days."

"Everyone knows about that."

"Yeah, but not before Kim Possible found out and it became public," said the traveler Shego.

"..."

"Anyway, I'm not really going to spend any time convincing you I am who I appear to be," continued traveler Shego. "If you think I'm you from another world or Monkey Fist in a holographic costume, it doesn't matter to me."

"Then what?" asked local Shego.

"I just want to give you some advice," said traveler Shego.

"Advice? From myself. And what, exactly am I supposed to do with this advice?"

"Follow it, dimwit," said the traveler Shego.

"You just called yourself a dimwit, I hope you know," pointed out local Shego.

"I take it back, this is clearly more annoying than two Kim Possibles."

"I won't argue there," nodded local Shego.

The two stopped and looked at each other. Then local Shego sighed.

"All right, I won't say that I believe this entirely," she started. "But lets say I give you the benefit of the doubt _temporarily_ and believe you're me, but from another time and place. What do you really want from me?"

"I really only want to talk," said the traveler Shego. "Kim wants to save your world from all its troubles, but I'm not planning on giving her the opportunity."

"Real messiah complex with that girl," said local Shego.

"Maybe, but she kept the world safe."

"Don't give her so much credit, this world will get along just fine--"

"No," Shego interrupted sharply, and looked at her local counterpart with serious eyes. "It won't. That's what I want you to know. I've _seen_ it with my own eyes, the sort of future that results from her disappearance."

"Oh come on," the local Shego balked. "Kim Possible holds the world together? _Please_."

"She doesn't hold the world together," the traveler Shego explained slowly. "But she keeps reckless people -- like _us_ -- from bringing down the house."

"Okay, we're done," the local Shego turned away from her double. "You've used up what little doubt I had about you. If you are me, you're a damn Kimmie lover and I'm not taking advice from you." She started walking back towards the main room.

The Shego left behind scowled and raised her voice. "Don't even try to say she didn't matter to you."

"_Matter_ to me? You're a walking soap opera."

Gritting her teeth, the traveler quickly ran up behind her counterpart and grabbed her shoulder. "I can't believe I'm this stubborn," she said angrily. "I'm not saying you had _feelings_ for her, I'm saying that you're going to miss the game! I'm saying without Kim or... Drakken, you're going to be _bored_!"

The local Shego grabbed the arm on her shoulder and pulled it forcefully away. Her face was filled with rage. "I have had enough of this. I don't need Drakken or Kim Possible to keep from being bored. I am not dependent upon those two annoyances!"

"Fine," the traveler Shego said forcefully. "Just tell me, are you smarter than Kim Possible?"

"You KNOW I am."

"Smarter than Drakken?"

"Duh."

"More capable than Kim?"

"_YES_."

"A better villain than Drakken?"

"A chimp could be."

"Got an account in the Caymans or maybe Zurich with at least seven figures?"

"Mid-eights, actually."

The inter-dimensional traveling Shego breathed once, slowly, then shouted. "Then what the hell are you doing here, now that they're gone, alone in an empty lab, crying in your room?!"

The local Shego shot her counterpart a look that could melt glass. "I was not crying."

"Of course you weren't," the traveler said evenly, never breaking her gaze.

"Shego!" a voice suddenly shouted down the hall. Kim popped her head in and looked down at the two who were staring each other down. "Er, OTHER Shego! I think you guys should see this." Her head vanished again.

The traveler raised an eyebrow during her stare, then walked swiftly around the local Shego and headed towards the room Kim was in.

A moment later, reluctantly, she was followed.

---

The console that Kim and Shego had been using earlier was now filled with a television news broadcast, this time including sound. Kim was standing in front of it looking a little angry as the two Shego approached from behind. The crawl at the bottom of the screen read:

FIRST POST-POSSIBLE SUPER-VILLAIN

"What's going on?" asked the inter-dimensional Shego.

"Somebody just robbed Jack Hench," said Kim, keeping her eyes on the video.

"Who cares?" said the native Shego. "Happens bi-weekly, probably Dementor."

"There's more," said Kim. "Listen."

The anchorwoman vanished and the report changed to show the on-site reporter who was staring severely into the camera. The view of the reporter slowly widened to show a disheveled but generally unharmed Jack Hench standing beside her. He had a strange smile on his face, very unlike the sly, confident grin he typically held in front of the camera. This one looked almost... earnest.

"If you're just joining us, I'm talking with Jack Hench, CEO of HenchCo, whose world and R&D headquarters was just hit by an as yet unidentified supervillain. Jack, what can you tell us about the attack?"

"Well, it was ... I have to say it was pretty sly, and I'm known for being sneaky," Jack laughed. "I'd never seen the guy before, definitely not a regular client, but he was dressed up like just the dandiest Halloween trick-or-treater. Stormed right in, gave my guards some nasty bruises and demanded access to our developed technology archive."

"What do you keep in this 'Developed Technology Archive'?" asked the reporter.

"Well, it's basically a storehouse for our prototypes," said Jack with a nod. "When we develop a new technology we put it in a temporary casing to see how it performs then use the data to run our production lines. The prototypes then are labeled, dated, and stored in our archives for future reference."

"Did the villain make off with any of your prototypes?"

"Oh, yes, definitely," nodded Jack. "He was quite thorough. Filled up a entire hovercraft -- which we developed -- with everything it could carry, and flew it out of the loading dock and into the sky! Normally we'd just activate our tracking devices and run down the pilfered goods lickety-split but unfortunately we don't attach our tracers on prototypes. I guess that's a lesson hard earned."

"I must say, Jack, despite this rather serious crime, you seem to be taking it incredibly well. Is that because HenchCo is insured for such an event given the nature of your clientele?"

"Well, that would certainly be a relief," said Jack, continuing to smile. "Our actuaries did indeed figure this was a high risk for us and obtained the proper insurance for it. But, really, I've just felt in an incredible mood since the robbery when the villain used one of our Attitudinators on me."

"Attitudinator?"

"Yes," nodded Jack. "It's a remarkable device that we developed at HenchCo based on a design we obtained through menacing corporate espionage on Dr. Cyrus Bortle's one-man think tank."

"Er, okay..." the reporter looked awkwardly towards the camera once then back at Jack. "Well, uh, what does the device do?"

"It swaps the good intentions of one person with the bad intentions of another," Jack said. "Basically turns good people bad and bad people good, depending on the amount of good or evil in a person to begin with, of course. But this guy -- boy he was a thinker! Hah! -- he attached it to a HenchCo portable wide-angle energy emitter and swapped the bad intentions of all the people in our entire building with his own!"

"So, to be clear, he now contains all the evil intensions of all the people who were in the HenchCo corporate headquarters at the time of the incident and you've received all his good intentions?"

"That about sums it up," Jack said happily. "And I tell you, spreading one person's goodness that thin and still having an effect, well, he must have good right to the core. Not anymore though!"

"Would you say that the villain is now more dangerous than he was when he first arrived?" the reporter asked.

"Well, absolutely. I wouldn't want to run into that guy ever again, who knows what he might do." Jack shivered once, then shook his head. "Just last week if this had happened I would have expected Kim Possible to defeat the guy, but now... man, it's just poor timing."

"It is indeed," nodded the reporter who then turned back towards the camera. "I understand we have just now received some amateur video footage of the culprit making his escape earlier today."

The screen suddenly changed again to show grainy footage of the HenchCo building. The video had clearly been enlarged to show the relevant part of the HenchCo building. Suddenly there was an explosion off the side of the building and a blue and green hovercraft laden with odd gadgets emerged from the smoke and took to the sky. The pilot was dressed in vibrant shades of yellow and blue on top of black.

The footage restarted again, this time zoomed in even further on the hovercraft, showing its pilot glancing once back at the building. As he turned, you could see his blonde hair past his tall collar as well as the pair of goggles over his eyes.

Kim's eyes widened and she gasped.

"Isn't that..." started her Shego.

"...Stoppable?" finished the native Shego.

Kim hands went to her mouth as she frowned deeply. "Ron?" she said sadly.

---

Wade drooled absently onto his chest as he sat slumped in his chair with a weak, goofy smile on his face and his eyes half-lidded beneath the brow of his gigantic ten-gallon hat. He had little idea where he was or even why he was here, in fact, very little matter to him except this strange little dot that was floating around in front of his vision. Was it dust? Maybe some sort of small thingy being all floaty in the air. Yeah, a floaty thing.

The floaty thing was a bright color, very pretty. He hoped the floaty was happy it was so pretty and, immediately, he was sure it was. In fact, they were all happy, all the things in the world. And Wade himself, he was also happy. Happiest of the happy happys!

There was suddenly a strange tugging feeling on his head and he was confused, but fairly certain it wasn't all that bad. Then there was a sudden release as a weight started to be lifted from his brow--

The world snapped back into focus around him and Wade blinked with the information overload. Shaking the cobwebs from his mind he looked up and around, noticing he was in some sort of darkened warehouse or cavern filled with electronic equipment and flashing, blinking lights. The sounds of supercomputers filled his ears and the distant echo told him that there were more around there were unseen.

His arms and legs were bound, as they were before he was placed in the chair he was in, and he struggled slightly to see if they had gotten any looser over the indeterminable time he was effectively brain-dead.

"There's no use, my genius friend," a very loud, flamboyantly dramatic voice said near to him. "Despite looking like rope those bonds could keep the moon tied to the earth."

Wade looked up to see Ron, his _former_ friend, standing nearby holding the ten-gallon hat that just moments ago had reduced Wade's intelligence to that of a near-toddler. Ron was dressed up in yellows and black, in a costume reminiscent of the Zorpox outfit he once wore. There was a large yellow "Z" emblazoned across his chest beneath the cape.

"Ron! Get a hold of yourself!" Wade tried.

"Ah, aah!" Ron waved his finger. "It's Zorpox. Say it with me now. Zor--"

"Ron," repeated Wade.

"You know, for a genius you're not very quick. Lets try again."

"Why are you doing this?" Wade pressed on. "What happened to you?"

"To me?" asked Zorpox, surprised. "A better question is what happened to the _world!_ I'll tell you what happened. It got up and changed its orientation."

"The world is gay?" asked Wade, now more confused.

"No, no, no," Zorpox shook his head. "You see, Kimberly and I always thought the world was inherently 'good' and heading towards a utopian future. It just needed some help shaking off these evil folks that kept dragging it down. But, we were wrong! Oh, were we wrong!" He paused, thoughtful. "Wrong were we, wrong we were, and we wrong were." Then he shook his head. "That last one didn't make any sense."

"Anyway," Zorpox continued. "I realized after Kimberly Ann's demise that the world wasn't heading towards utopia! It was heading towards a decadent, self-obsessed dystopia! We weren't correcting its path, we were trying to divert it, change the natural order of the world. Of COURSE we lost in the end."

"You didn't lose, Ron," Wade interrupted. "Just because... just because Kim is gone now, doesn't mean what she fought for is over!"

"But it is," Zorpox said sinisterly. "You see, it's all a bunch of hogwash anyway. There is no utopia. Just people, and people need to be led or they just spend all day thinking about themselves and their pitiful 'noble' quests."

"What you and Kim did wasn't pitiful," Wade said angrily.

"Of course it was, haven't you heard what people have been saying?" asked Zorpox. He walked over to a console and pressed a button causing a huge holographic screen to appear and show a collection of news clips and interviews.

"...it's a pity she her influence wasn't more widespread..."

"...pity her crusade ended in such a manner..."

"...I certainly pity the world that has no Kim Possible..."

"...brings pity on herself by the sheer scope of her endeavor..."

The clips came one after another and Zorpox eventually started shaking his head. He banished the display and looked at Wade.

"Don't you see?" he asked.

"Ron, they were saying it bad that Kim was gone, not that what she DID was pitiful."

"Ah, true," nodded Zorpox. "But the world would still rather throw pity around rather than take up the responsibility for continuing her work."

Wade opened his mouth to object but realized he didn't have an argument. He closed his mouth lamely then looked up again. "There was still you."

"And people barely even remember I was part of Team Possible," said Zorpox. "No, my influence was negligible." He smiled. "Clearly, I had to find a new approach."

"And this is your answer?" asked Wade. "Enslave the world."

"Not enslave," said Zorpox, walking back to the console. "_Empower!_" He pushed a button and suddenly a series of flood lamps turned on, bathing a huge device in the center of the room, which the lights now confirmed to be some sort of cave. The device was at least two stories tall and looked to have been cobbled together from a variety of gadgets originally intended for other things. It hummed with life and Wade realized the other computers he heard were actually coming from this structure.

"What... what did you build?" asked Wade, almost afraid to ask.

"The future," Zorpox said dramatically. "I'm giving everyone the chance to plainly make that great decision between self-interest and self-sacrifice. Those who walk the path behind me get to march towards my great empire, those who don't... well, they don't really matter anyway, do they?"

Wade looked upon the machine with horror. "You're insane," he said, his voice hollow.

"No," Zorpox said, his voice suddenly steady and low. "Insane is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Like trying to save a world that doesn't want to be saved, or expecting romance from someone who never learned how."

Wade looked at Zorpox expectantly. "What is this really about, Ron?"

Zorpox smirked and the dramatic appearance returned in full force. "I already told you, this is about the FUTURE."

"You're lying," said Wade, pressing on. "This is about Kim."

"There's a difference between what this _was_ about and what it _is_ about," said Zorpox strolling across the floor of the large room. "When this started, it _was_ about guilt. Now, it's about _power_."

"You took too much evil into yourself, Ron," Wade said. "It's overpowering you, crushing what you were. You're not like this, you're just being manipulated."

"And WHAT," Zorpox emphasized as he turned back to Wade, "makes you think that isn't what poor little, sad, guilty Ronnie wanted? Thinking is a real pain, its better just to follow. The Attitudinator is the perfect solution, just take someone else's wants and desires and incorporate them right into your own personality. No mess, no fuss, and everyone thinks that they're happy." He smiled broadly.

"Oh my god," said Wade suddenly. "That's what you're going to do to the world! You're going to use the Attitudinator on everyone."

Zorpox laughed. "Khan, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, they're only called tyrants because not everyone agreed with their goals. But why bother trying to convince people to agree with you when you can just make them."

"You... you can't do this!" Wade yelled. "Someone will stop you!"

"Someone will stop me..." Zorpox frowned then scratched his chink. "Just for clarity, are you referring to the self-destructive Team Go, or the weighed down with bureaucracy Global Justice?"

"There are still good people out there," insisted Wade. "The nameless heroes who we never saw. They'll rise up to stop you because the world IS good in its heart, no matter what you say."

Zorpox chuckled as he walked over to the gigantic Attitudinator and slapped it reassuringly. "It won't be for long."

---

Kim stared at her traveling partner and spoke deliberately. "We have to do something."

"It's not our responsibility," said Shego with a shake of her head.

"I agree," the native Shego nodded.

"No, this IS your world," the trans-dimensional Shego said to her counterpart. "It is your responsibility and you should do something."

"What?!" she replied incredulously. "How come you get to back out but I'm expected to deal with this?"

"We're not backing out," insisted Kim.

"Because it's your world, and you need to take responsibility for it," said traveler Shego.

"I'm not a hero," the native Shego replied. "Neither are you, I might add."

"This isn't about me."

"Then I don't see why it should be about me!"

"Shegos!" Kim suddenly yelled. Both women looked towards her, surprised. "Can we just act like a team and have all of us go and do something about this?"

The two Shegos looked at each other and frowned.

"It's not like Stoppable is a real threat," said the trans-dimensional Shego. "He's hardly a super villain."

"Though, Zorpox was a natural at it," reminded the native Shego. "If he's been hit by that evil-helmet again..."

"That's a good point," mused the traveler Shego. "His weather machine did work on the first try, which is a feat I can't say Drakken ever accomplished."

"He had to steal one, in fact," said the native Shego.

"Right."

"So..." started Kim. "Have we agreed we should do something?"

Her Shego sighed. "If it'll get _her_ to come along, I guess we can indulge your need to save the world this time."

"Fine," the native Shego rolled her eyes. "I'd hate to see my favorite beaches hit by tidal waves or something. Let's make sure he's not causing too much trouble."

"Great," said Kim. "First things first, we should contact Wade."

"The nerdlinger?" asked the local Shego. "What do we need from him?"

"Oh, he chipped Ron a while back so he could be found anywhere on the globe," said Kim plainly. "He should be able to tell us where he is."

"Smart kid," said the traveler Shego.

Kim quickly moved over to the console and stared at the myriad of buttons. A few moments later, Shego pushed her out of the chair and started typing away.

"Just send a message to the website," said Kim to her Shego. "Hopefully he's still watching it. I would hope he would keep it alive even if... something happened to me."

"Whatever," she said, and started typing. She got a few words into the message when suddenly the screen went blank.

"What the...?" said Shego. "Did you not pay the power bill?"

The native Shego raised her hands. "Don't look at me, Drakken deals with that stuff."

Then the screen came life again and was replaced with an image of Ron, complete in the variant of the Zorpox costume they saw on the news. As soon as the image resolved on the screen, the other monitors in the room changed to match.

"Well, I guess that answers the 'up to no good' question," said the trans-dimensional Shego. She began typing furiously.

"Greetings, EARTH!" Zorpox said with fanfare.

"What are you doing?" asked Kim to Shego.

"Hoping only the screen was hijacked so I can use the computer to trace this signal."

Kim blinked. "Oh... good idea."

"I am communicating to you all now though the magic of television!" Zorpox continued with a smirk. "Or rather, the network of powerful television satellites above your heads set to find any communication signal and override it with my own. Mehehehehehahaa!"

"That is a terrible laugh," said the native Shego.

"Shh!" said Kim.

"I... am Zorpox. No doubt you've seen my wonderful heist of HenchCo on the news already. Not my best work but definitely a start. I like how CNN is calling me the 'Next Drakken.' It's so fitting in ways you'll never really know." He degraded into laugher again for several seconds.

"Anyway, I appear before you tonight to let you know your long winter is over and I am here to lead you into the spring. The long years of hoping people like Kim Possible would save you from your own mess are over. I have come to guide you."

"Now he's got the messiah complex. _Great_," the native Shego rolled her eyes.

"Of course, I know some of you would deny the glorious future I present to you, and naturally, some of you would intend to follow me just long enough to stab me in the back. To all of you, I offer you this one last chance to rethink your ways."

Zorpox tilted his head down slightly, taking on a more menacing look. "At dawn, as the sun first touches your place in the world, starting with the North American west coast, if you have a strong desire to follow me in your hearts, you will be given the power to see the way towards our future. If you do not wish to follow me, then this will be the last we speak."

Glancing down once, Zorpox grinned. "It starts in twelve hours."

Then, as suddenly as the broadcast began, it ended, and the screens in the lair returned to their original content.

The Shego at the console shrugged. "Well that doesn't seem all that bad, either go with him or don't. I expected worse."

"I doubt he intends to just leave those who don't alone," said the native Shego. "Nothing galvanizes a nation more than an enemy."

"Hmm, you're probably right. Kimmie, what do you --" but she trailed off as she looked to Kim, who had her face in her hands. "Hey," she said in a softer voice. "You alright?"

Kim lowered her hands slightly and sniffled. She rubbed her eyes with her palms and then tried abashedly to hide the action by putting her hands behind her back.

"I'm fine," she said in a slightly choked voice. He voice slowly gained strength. "I don't care what he said, we have to go to him. Stop him."

"We will," nodded her Shego. "But, he's not your Stoppable."

"He's still doing this because of me," said Kim, her voice cracking. "Because I'm not there for him anymore."

"You wanted an empire of fanatical servants?" asked the native Kim.

"No!" Kim snapped, loudly. "But he's alone and depressed and he... he's done this to himself. I should have been there for him."

"This isn't our world," said Shego for probably the tenth time since arriving. "We couldn't do anything for him. It's just bad luck."

"But..." Kim said in a small voice. "What if we don't ever get back home?"

Her Shego blinked as if she'd never considered it.

"What if this is what happens after we're gone?" asked Kim. "I never... imagined I was having this impact but... if people are relying on me..."

"Stop it," the native Shego said suddenly. Kim and the other Shego looked at her. "You're not high and mighty no matter what Stoppable or the press thought of you. We don't _need_ you, and we don't depend on you."

"But..." started Kim, but the native Shego pressed on.

"This is just a stupid kid who's taking his anger out on the world. He will be stopped. Someone will keep this from getting out of hand."

"Who?" asked the trans-dimensional Shego, staring down her counterpart.

The native Shego scowled for quite a while before answering. "Fine, I'll do something." She folded her arms and turned away. "It's not like I wanna see his crazy kingdom, anyway."

The Shego who had thought she's seen it all, felt something start within her, and she desperately tried to hide it. She didn't want to believe it was there, because it put her at risk and made her vulnerable. Since she'd seen her face and name being used to destroy and maim, she had thought she'd lost that flame forever. But if she could change... if a version of her could realize what she never did without seeing that terrible hell, then maybe...

Shego made a small smile and gave in. She let that spark of hope deep within her warm her soul again.

---

The great and powerful Zorpox checked the timer on one of the monitors in the main room. Three hours remained before they could start the plan. It was glorious how close his kingdom was. His will would wash across the world with the rising sun! No better metaphor could exist for an act that would usher in a new reality and he was proud for thinking of it.

Of course, there was the logistical issues that forced him to do it that way as well. He couldn't cover the entire world with his Attitudinator beam at once, even all the amplifiers and power generators he'd pilfered from Hench couldn't keep the beam contained at that range. So he had to work slowly across the surface. It meant that once he started it would be a full day later before he reached China and Japan, giving them precious time to develop a defense. Not ideal. The Japanese were quite industrious, and he had no doubt they could find a shield, but twenty-four hours could hardly be enough, could it?

There was no alternative, however, not that would speed things up any, at least. To bounce his beam back at the planet had to use a series of geosynchronous satellites above his targets and even the near-mass of the Attitudinator beam would throw them off their orbits without firing corrective jets. Of course, the satellites (and ergo, the jets) were solar powered and would quickly deplete their batteries if they weren't in constant sunlight while receiving the Attitudinator beam.

There was a whole range of complications to this plan, Zorpox realized early, and while he was quite a bit smarter than Ronald, he wasn't nearly as scientifically minded enough to keep track of all of it. So, he needed help.

"The calculations for the satellites are complete, Zorpox," Wade said from his place at the main communications console. "Everything in is in place for your grand plan."

Zorpox laughed maniacally. Thankfully using his machine on someone standing right next to it required very little coordination and Wade had been a most ideal test subject. The modifications to the Attitudinator that Zorpox had made worked perfectly. There was no longer any need to do a 'swap' of good motivations for bad ones when using the device. He could now simply send intentions of his own design directly into the brain, such as the need to serve and the almost ruthless disregard to any human life he placed in Wade.

Briefly, Zorpox wondered if it was possible to reverse the damage he was doing to Wade's brain, but the thought was quickly squashed. That was an artifact from an earlier life, one that no longer had any use to him. He didn't care about _undoing_ the changes he was making. Why would he? He was making the world better!

"External sensors are picking up people approaching the lair," Wade announced and Zorpox forced his delicious soliloquy out of his mind.

"Who is it?" asked Zorpox with a grin. He was hoping there would be challengers to his title. He needed test subjects. "Team Go? Or GJ?"

"Unknown," Wade said. "They're in a covered hovercraft, but thermal says there are three people inside. They're coming up low and quiet on the ocean-side, probably thinking we'd be surprised by them. I can shut down their engines with an EM shot. Plummet them into the sea."

"No," Zorpox said. "I want them alive. I can deal with three people myself and I'd love to have some witnesses to the start of my plan. Let them through, but don't make it easy."

"Activating perimeter defenses," announced Wade.

Zorpox leaned over Wade's shoulder as he watched the first line of automated guns go into active status and begin tracking. Wade brought up a view of the exterior of the lair to watch the action from afar.

---

"He's got a lot of balls using one of Drakken's old lairs as his own," said the native Shego as she piloted their hovercraft. It was one of the few being stored at the hideout they were just in and the only one with a roof. Drakken's penchant for open top vehicles made it easy to watch for annoying heroes clinging to the side but outright impossible to stay dry in the rain or, in the current case, protected in case of gunfire.

"Just keep our angle low, you know his security isn't worth much on the tracking side," said the trans-dimensional Shego.

"Any lower and we'd have to be in a submersible."

Kim moved between the two Shegos and stared out the front windshield at the rapidly approaching lair. "You think he's got help?"

"Why would he need it?" asked the native Shego. "He's sitting on more technology right now than James Bond."

"He did always want to turn me evil though," said Kim. "And he worked with you the first time he went bad. Maybe he thinks he's supposed to work in a team."

"Who do you think he would have turned evil then, apart from you?"

"I don't know, I'm just wondering," Kim said, staring at the rocky cliff face punctuated by jutting rocks, random trees, and silvery guns aiming slowly out to sea.

"Uh," started Kim but the native Shego was already gripping the controls so hard her knuckles were white.

"I see them," said Shego, testily. "Hang on!" She pulled the controls sharply to the side, throwing Kim onto the other Shego as they barely dodged an incoming blast from the energy guns. Water splashed against the windshield as the waves split from the concussive force of the shot.

The trans-dimensional Shego gripped Kim strongly by the shoulders and pushed her off, tossing her towards the third seat in the craft. Kim grabbed on it firmly then began the awkward motion of trying to get the harness around her waist.

"So much for invisible approach," grumbled the Shego at the helm.

"He must have upgraded the defenses," said the trans-dimensional Shego. She gripped the sides of her chair as the other Shego banked the hovercraft left and then right, trying to zig-zag their way towards the shore and avoid getting shot.

A sudden jolt hit the vehicle and they felt themselves listing to the side and slowly losing altitude.

"We took a hit," said the native Shego. "Stabilizer's slagged. We'll still make it there without it but I hope they've got a spare ship to take back."

Kim grimaced as the whole craft started to rumble then jerk as they slapped against the high cresting waves. Just a few minutes more and they'd be at the shore. She hated not being able to do anything, but there's only one pilot on a hovercraft.

---

"They're beat up pretty bad," said Wade, using different angles from the exterior cameras to assess the damage to the intruding ship. "No way they're making it back out in that thing. We've got them here to stay."

"Then lay down the carpet," Zorpox said with near-glee. "Let's see who's found their way to my home."

"Shutting down cannons," Wade nodded. He watched the small craft tumble back and forth between waves before eventually crashing into the ocean and coming to stop against the rocks on the cliff-side of the lair. Switching cameras he tried to get a good view of the occupants but each camera was obstructed by something, either a jutting rock or high tide, and eventually he had to settled on a rather distant camera to watch the proceedings.

The hovercraft on the screen swayed slowly back and forth and eventually a door opened and woman dressed completely in black climbed out, jumping onto the rocks and clinging loosely to a outcropping tree. She was slim and had long dark hair an pale skin. Wade did his best to clean up the image but he had a good idea who it was right away.

"Shego," he said to Zorpox, right behind him.

"Shego?" asked Zorpox, surprised. "That's a let down. She probably just wants me to deal her into the action. I was hoping for some desperate heroes." He watched the grainy picture closely. "Who's with her?"

"Nobody else came out of the hovercraft," said Wade. He switched to thermal optics and studied the blooms of color. "The engine on that thing is giving off a lot of heat, but I don't see anyone else left in the ship. Either the other two ditched or they're masking their heat signature somehow."

"They could be hiding in the heat of the engine," pointed out Zorpox.

"Not for long," said Wade, pointing at the quickly shrinking blotches of color. "It's cooling fast. Five more minutes or so and there won't be anything to hide behind."

"Check the undersea cameras," said Zorpox, recalling a few incidents with Kim where they'd assaulted this very lair.

The images on the screen changed again, this time showing slightly distorted views of the dark water beneath the cliffs. Just a small dot of color marked where the hovercraft had moored a few hundred feet above on the surface. Still, no figures or anything that looked like intruders.

"Odd," said Zorpox. "How are they masking their heat?'

"They could be wearing heat resistant outfits, neoprene or something similar. Though if they were covered head to foot they'd suffocate," said Wade.

"Anything else?"

"A specially designed air conditioned suit might throw off the thermal sensors. Like those clothes with A/C in them they make for people who can't sweat." Wade thought future. "Or, honestly, a good mirroring material might do it, but they'd have to have enough to block all the thermograpihc cameras and it doesn't fool normal visual ones."

"So, they're just gone," said Zorpox.

"Or they were never there to begin with," said Wade. "Maybe Shego was playing games with us, trying to make us think there were more people coming."

"To what end?" asked Zorpox. "It doesn't fit her MO. Let's forget the games and bring her in. Send the Synthodrones."

---

Shego climbed the cliff as carefully as she could, not wishing to end up speared and disemboweled by the crags beneath her. Their razor-sharp peaks would be like teeth to her comparably softer body and she wanted nothing of that. She adjusted her bag over her shoulder and pulled herself up higher.

Despite having worked and lived out of this liar off and on over the years, she'd never had to get in from the ocean side of the lair which, naturally, had sheer cliffs climbing several stories before reaching the first basement that had an entrance. If she survived this ordeal, she convinced herself she would have a secret entrance installed at the base of the cliffs too to avoid needlessly deadly situations like this one.

Looking up, she saw she'd almost reached the platform that marked the basement level and she looked down once to confirm there were no bodies already on the rocky base. Nodding to herself she pulled herself up onto the shaped flat and looked up just in time to see the Synthodrone standing there, reaching for her.

Instincts taking over, Shego swung herself to the side and scrambled for a good foot hold before flinging herself back towards the platform, planting her feet square in the synthodrone's head and knocking him down the cliff where he vanished below. Looking towards the secret doorway leading in, she saw it was already open and more synthodrones were racing towards her.

She planted her feet and ignited her hands in a blaze of green fire. The synthodrones, not programmed for very much self preservation, continued to charge her where she slashed fiery lines across their abdomens causing them to topple down off and join their mindless comrade below.

Smiling, Shego strode into the doorway, kicking a latch down in the doorway to keep it from closing and into the basement level of the lair. At first she was shocked, the basement had been entirely renovated from when she'd seen it last. Then she saw the small multi-legged robots cheerfully marching along the floors and walls, eating up parts of the stone while spitting up others. Like a slow moving swarm they marched across the room changing its orientation and shape, using the stone they ate as raw materials for the wall they built.

Ingenious little drones they were, apparently usurped from their original task of laying down security cameras and wire for monitors in the lair. Shego wondered why Drakken had never considered using them in this way but then again, he was way better at creating new things than he was at coming up with uses for them.

Turning away from the quickly growing walls, Shego headed for the stairs towards the upper levels. Even if the drones had been co-oped into building walls, they still probably had put up cameras and she knew the great and self-absorbed Zorpox was probably watching. Four synthodrones was nothing, more would be on their way, she knew it.

"Hold it!"

Shego spun to see the source of the voice. Two synthodrones had arrived, both rather slimmer than the norm but no less menacing. The shorter of the two was standing in front of the other.

"You're coming with us," said the synthodrone in front. It held out a finger pointed directly at Shego who smirked in response.

"Going to make me?" asked Shego, playfully. Then her hands burst into flames that threw green light across the sides of her head.

---

Zorpox stared at the monitors showing Shego being dragged slowly through the halls towards the main room where he sat. His mind was alive with plans and ideas, _possibilities_. Cleared from the hazy fog that was the 'Ron' persona, Zorpox knew he was the most capable villain in the world. None of the gimmicky screwballs he and Kim had fought were even close to his ability. Their plans were always shallow, poorly planned, and often aimless. "Destroy the world," _indeed_.

He expected that some of those 'villains' would flock to his clear alpha dog status, but Shego... she was clearly the most shrewd of the rogues gallery, probably the most capable after himself. But she was vain. Oh, was could push it aside sometimes, swallow her pride to get something she wanted more, but it was always come back to her. It was who she was at her core. She had to be the best, she'd never work for someone who could even briefly be considered better than her.

Which begged the question: _What was she doing here?_

Zorpox considered dozens of explanations but threw each out as being less plausible than the last. The only possible options that remained were three: First could be here to swear allegiance merely to avoid having her brain being tinkered with -- Zorpox knew she hated mind control -- but intended to stab him in the back at the first possible opportunity. Second, she was here to try and work with him as a peer and profit from his grand vision so long as he was strong enough to keep her in line. Or third, she was here to stop him out of some bizarre preference for the world as it currently was.

Yes, Zorpox nodded to himself, she was here to stop him. That made the most sense. She was far from impulsive, but the short deadline to the dawn might have forced her hand into coming here without enough firepower to stop him. It was a stupid gambit and would only assure that she got her mind tinkered with first, much to her probable chagrin.

He laughed loudly, to the surprise of Wade, at his successful analysis of the situation and stood to prepare himself for Shego's arrival. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small metal disc with a pattern of buttons on one side and a silvery metal spiral on the other. He weighed it casually in his hand as he waited.

"What's the verdict on those underwater thermal optics cameras?" he asked over his shoulder at Wade.

"Nothing conclusive," reported Wade. "The falloff for heat signatures underwater is much much shorter than in air, they'd have to have swam right past a camera to get anything definitive."

"Wade, Wade, Wade! I thought you were a genius!" announced Zorpox.

"I can't go back in time and install a better sensor grid in this place," said Wade, wryly.

"Perhaps you should work on that," Zorpox said as he turned towards the doors just in time to see the two purple suited soldiers dragging the seemingly unconscious Shego by the legs. "Ah, my illustrious guests." He bowed majestically to them.

"Where do you want her?" said one of the synthodrones, gesturing curtly towards the unconscious intruder.

"Just there is fine," nodded Zorpox. He flipped the metal disc in his and pressed several of the buttons on it simultaneously. "Just stand still." He tossed the device at the feet of the two drones and their prisoner. The device whirred loudly and began to glow.

"What are--" started the other synthodrone just before the device exploded bright light, shooting a shimmering beam upwards like a fountain that then cascaded down around the three figures, encasing them in a blue transparent flowing wave.

Zorpox grinned madly. "Perfect," he said.

"Hey!" yelled one of the synthodrones. It looked around and then reached out at the domelike energy field, discovering resistance to its touch. A more forceful punch confirmed that it was impenetrable. The field was only about three or four feet above its head and was only wide enough in diameter to comfortably fit the Shego on the ground and one standing synthodrone on either side of her. The device which had created the field was now floating still above the field just inches off the top of the dome.

The two synthodrones looked at one another and then towards Zorpox.

"We're trapped in here," said one of the drones.

"Well, that's obvious," Zorpox rolled his eyes. "But you should be okay, since you knocked out the only threat in there with you. Though, I have to say, I doubt she's really unconscious." He stared into the dome at the figure on the ground. After a few moments, he said, "Its okay if you want to play possum, I can wait all night."

Shego then opened her eyes and sat up, looking angry.

"There we go," said Zorpox, pleased with himself again. "Sorry to ruin your trap, but Drakken's synthodrones are terrible. I don't believe for a second that two small squads took you, the great Shego, down. These two drones clearly came with you."

"Oh, you're so clever," Shego sneered, getting to her feet.

"Hey, I was complimenting you," Zorpox said in a mock injured tone.

"Bite me, Stoppable," said Shego.

Zorpox's smile fled his face. He looked back at Shego darkly. "It's Zorpox, not Stoppable."

"Oh, riiight," nodded Shego. "And why again is that supposed to make any difference?"

"I am not that idiot Stoppable!" yelled Zorpox. "I'm better than him. Smarter. Wiser."

"Because you put on a lame custom and a pair of goggles?" balked Shego. "_Please_. You're still the same old buffoon just playing out Drakken's tired old lines. A Stoppable in a Halloween costume is still a Stoppable to me."

"I AM ZORPOX!" bellowed Zorpox. He moved right up against the glowing barrier so that his nose pressed against the shifting field. "Silence that blasphemous tongue of yours or I'll do it for you!"

"Wow, you really have taken on the heavy-handed cheese-ball act in full force," noted Shego, examining the claws on her gloves. "I take it back, Drakken could have learned a thing or two from you."

"You think you're so amazing, well look at where you stand now! Trapped in my forcefield! Your idiotic ambush defused before you even started! How dare you be so smug to me?!" Zorpox was starting to turn red with rage now and Shego stared back with an even expression.

"Because you're just a kid," Shego said plainly. "A little boy who got hurt and is throwing a tantrum now because mommy couldn't kiss the boo-boo away. You can destroy the world right now and it won't mean a thing because the only way you got here is by stealing all the other kids toys and keeping them for yourself."

Shego put her hands on her hips. "A great and powerful villain? You're not even up to Frugal Lucre's discount standard. At least he had a decent gimmick. What's yours? Pound on the floor and stamp your legs until someone picks you up?"

"I am not a kid!" growled Zorpox. "You have NEVER been so close to conquering the world as I am right now!"

Shego looked towards one of the synthodrones then looked down. "Maybe," she said, then raised her head. "But the fun was in the trying anyway."

"Fun?" Zorpox said with disgust. "_Fun?_" His face was screwed up in an expression of rage. "_FUN!?_ BECAUSE OF YOUR FUN, KIM IS DEAD AND NOTHING I DO WILL BRING HER BACK!"

One of the synthodrones slowly stepped up, moved Shego gently aside and looked back at Zorpox. It raised its hand and pulled at the mask and covering over its head. A frock of red hair emerged followed by a pale face and a pair of deep green eyes that stared straight into Zorpox's soul. "Is that why you're doing all this, Ron?" Kim asked sadly.

Zorpox's expression immediately changed to one of horror and he fell backwards, scrambling to back away. "Y-y-you!" he stammered, his voice hollow.

"I'm not terribly pleased this is how you're remembering me," said Kim softly. "We worked so hard to protect this world. Why are you trying to undo that?"

"Y-y-your not REAL!" yelled Zorpox, throwing his hands up to block Kim's sight from her view. "A-A-A phantom!"

"Yes," nodded Kim solemnly. "I'm just a ghost in this world. So why are you afraid of me?"

"GO AWAY!" Zorpox covered his eyes with his arms and turned.

"You've already sent me away, Ron," said Kim. "By destroying what I stood for."

"NOOooooo," moaned Zorpox as he covered his ears now as well.

Kim sighed and pulled her mask and head coverings back on. She took a step back and let Shego stand in front again. After a few minutes of silence, Wade finally spoke. "Zorpox?"

Zorpox peeked an eye out from between his fingers and looked around. He looked at Shego and her synthodrones and then back at Wade. "Is she gone?"

Wade frowned. He pointed at the field with the three people in it. "She's right in there, she just put--"

"YAEAGGH! Make them go away!" yelled Zorpox.

"What?" asked Wade, confused. "How?"

"I don't care, make them disappear!"

"You want me to kill them?" Wade asked, skeptically.

"I DON'T WANT THEM HERE!"

Zorpox curled into a ball faced away from everyone and went back to holding his head and ears.

Wade blinked and looked between the prisoners and Zorpox. "Should I even try to kill you, or should I just let you go now?" he said, bored.

"It's good to see being evil didn't make you dumb," Shego said, with a smirk.

Wade picked up a gun from his console and shot the floating field emitted, causing the blue shield to shimmer and then vanish. The synthodrone that had yet to unmask quickly ran over and grabbed Wade's arms, binding them with some wire-ties pulled from its pocket. Wade didn't resist and instead watched as the Kim-synthodrone took off its mask again and slowly approached Zorpox.

"It's an amazing replica," commented Wade, with amazement. "Somehow more convincing in the synthodrone outfit than if she was in her mission gear."

The synthodrone holding him shook its head. "She's not a replica," it said simply.

Wade frowned. "What do you mean?" he turned as best he could with his arms held. "She died. I was there when she was buried."

"It doesn't matter," the synthodrone responded, then turned to look at Shego. "Hey, 'the great Shego,' why don't you take care of that thing before half the world ends up zombified or whatever he was planning." It motioned towards the large device in the center of the room.

"Just attitude adjusted," provided Wade. "Though it would have encouraged half the planet to try to kill the other half."

Shego cracked her knuckles and then threw several bolts of plasma at the structure, causing it to shake and burn then begin to smoke. The room noise quieted considerably when as the tall device slowed to a stop.

"Ron?"

In the sudden quiet, everyone turned to see Kim putting a gentle hand on the cowering Zorpox, still curled in a ball.

"Come on, Ron," Kim said. "Look at me."

"No," came the whimpering reply. "Ron is gone... Ron couldn't take it. Ron had to leave."

"Ron is still in there," said Kim. "Our attitudes are only so much of what we are."

"No... Ron isn't responsible for this," said the form, starting to shake. "Ron was good... too good to live in a world... without you."

Kim bit her lip as tears formed in her eyes. "The world didn't turn bad just because I left," she said. "You... y-you did this to yourself."

Zorpox suddenly moved. Shego and the Synthodrone, who had been watching, tensed for an attack, but instead he threw his arms around Kim and began bawling into her shoulder.

"Why?" sobbed Ron. "Why did you leave me?"

He tried loudly as Kim slowly brought her arms around him and held him softly. "Shhh," she said softly. "It'll be alright." She cradled him slightly as her own tears streaked down her face.

---

_ZORPOX REVEALED, FORMER KIM POSSIBLE SIDEKICK_

_Washington D.C. - Ronald Stoppable, former sidekick to teen hero Kim Possible, was arraigned late yesterday afternoon before a federal judge where he plead guilty under sixteen counts including assault, larceny, kidnapping and terrorism. This will only be the first judicial stop for Stoppable, who was revealed to be the menacing villain known as Zorpox, as a date has yet to be determined for his appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court to be tried on several counts of treason. Stoppable was delivered by an unknown individual to Washington officials early yesterday morning in his Zorpox guise. The person who delivered the villain did not give his name and did not remain for questioning._

_Until recently Stoppable was the partner to the famous heroine Kim Possible before her death just a few days ago. His sudden ethical switch is claimed to be attributed to an experimental device known as an 'Attitudinator', developed by one of Stoppable's initial targets HenchCo. Police and district attorneys are still trying to determine the legitimacy of such a claim and press inquires to their offices have gone unanswered._

_Amidst Stoppable's arrest and arraignment, activist groups have risen across the nation over concern about the once humorously considered 'villain' community whom are now been regarded publicly as some of the worst terrorists currently active. Congress is already drafting a bill to create special task forces to investigate the nature and locations of known villains in the hope than another Zorpox can be avoided. Lobbyists in Washington are calling for this upcoming bill to be called the 'Kim Possible Bill'..._

---

Kim stared at the Kimmunicator in her hand with a bit of hesitancy.

"I hope he'll be okay," she said quietly, but apparently loud enough for the two Shegos in the room to snort in unison.

"Just press the button, Princess," said the Shego who would be following her through the gateway. "We've stayed here a lot longer than we needed to already."

"I just wanted to make sure he was alright," said Kim. "Well, I mean, I know he's not alright, but..."

"I'll take care of it," the Shego that would be staying said. "Don't worry so much. I won't let the world go to hell and I'm sure even if they convict him of treason they'll be poking at his brain for years to come to figure out how to undo the Attitudinator's effects."

"That's not exactly comforting," snapped Kim, who then softened. "But... I really appreciate you looking after things here."

"It's not like it's your responsibility," shrugged Shego. "This is my world, and... well, I'm not going to be no damn hero, but if things start to get bad again, I'll step in."

"Thanks," smiled Kim.

The other Shego looked at her but said nothing.

"I don't want any more of your advice, so you can shove it," said the staying Shego. She crossed her arms. "Get out of here while I'm in a good mood."

Shego nodded and walked over to Kim. "We've done all we can, let's go," she said.

Kim nodded and pressed the button the Kimmunicator which caused the gateway to flare to life. They both stared at it.

"It can't get... worse than this, can it?" asked Kim.

"Oh, god, now that you've said that it most certainly will," Shego groaned. She reached down and grabbed Kim's wrist. "Come on, princess."

With a leap Shego yanked Kim into the portal which closed briefly afterwards.

"Hmm," said the remaining Shego. "Nice trick."


	5. Part 4: TECHNOBABBLE

AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: As there have been two somewhat parallel stories posted by me between this chapter and the last, I just wanted to remind readers that the stories of 'Contagion' and 'The LAST Thing You Wanted To Read' have not yet occurred in the timeline of POSSIBILITY ENGINE. If/when those stories come into continuity, there will be an author's note stating as such.

Sorry for the confusion! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

The Grand Commander breathed slowly and regularly, making sure to have each exhale last longer than five seconds. He contemplated the dark bedroom he was in, then the floor he was on, then the building, and the street, city, state, planet, galaxy, and universe. Then contemplated himself within it and as well as all the other people in the world. He imagined the effect of a single person on the world and then began working out alternate scenarios of how the last five years could have worked out without his own existence.

This took only a few seconds. Not feeling any more tired or 'at peace' than when he started he began thinking about other things, such as probable evolutionary circumstances that could have resulted in the platypus.

A series of soft melodic tones interrupted his thoughts just when he had deduced a set sixteen possible conditions that could have favored a egg laying mammalian and set aside those thoughts to consider the possible reasons someone would interrupt his sleep cycle. His first estimates unfortunately numbered in the thousands of possibilities.

"Commander?" a voice filtered through the room, observed from it source. The Grand Commander recognized the voice as belonging to Tetros, who had been calling himself Prometheus these days.

"What is it, Prometheus?" asked the Grand Commander, his eyes still closed and his body still. "I am meditating."

"I have been monitoring your vital signs," Prometheus started.

"I hadn't asked you to," said the Grand Commander, irritated.

"Your heart rate and body temperature have remained constant, even risen slightly since you entered lotus position," continued the voice. "I do not believe you are attaining the meditative state."

"Prometheus, how has my heart rate and neural activity changed since you interrupted me?"

"Risen by seven-point-nine percent," reported Prometheus. "Do you intent to imply that I am keeping you from reaching the so-called 'zen' state, Commander? I can provide you historic data from all your previous meditative attempts that were not interrupted by me for comparison."

The Grand Commander sighed and left the cross-legged state he was to simply lie on his back in the largely non-descript room. "No, that's not necessary," he said, defeated, then cocked his head to the side. "How do you have access to that information anyway?"

"I traded processing time on Zenith to Asclepius for the statistical data," replied Prometheus.

"That processing time was specifically flagged for you, Prometheus," said the Grand Commander, but grinned slightly at the notion of Asclepius and Prometheus trading data on him like baseball cards.

"Ascelepius has more need of it for his global medical fitness data processing," said Prometheus. "I only use it for self-improvement purposes."

"Your development is a very important thing to me," the Grand Commander insisted. "Please don't trade anymore of your time away just so you can bother me during meditation."

"I am your aide, Commander, you come first," said Prometheus simply.

The Grand Commander frowned and spoke softly. "It won't always be that way, Tetros."

The voice was quiet for several seconds before speaking again. "I think you should take your sedatives, Commander. Meditation is not working for you."

"It's too easy," nodded the Grand Commander as he sat up again. "The Tibetan monks I consulted with told me to try to heavily contemplate a complex single entity, such as myself, then consider that entity in a larger context to derive the nature of reality. People are supposed to achieve meditation through thoughts that are too big to keep in you head at once. Except... I can easily think about all those things simultaneously."

"Have you considered contemplating the infinite?" asked Prometheus.

The Grand Commander hesitated as he moved to stand. "Interesting, the infinite you say?" He perked up slightly and stood to move near a dresser by the wall. "What do you know about the infinite?"

"In what context?"

"Any context. The universe, say. Or Time." The Grand Commander pulled open a drawer and took out a small white bottle of pills.

"In my estimation, there is a very high probability that the universe is bounded," said Prometheus. "And time exists only as long as it is observable, which means it is bounded by the physical world."

"I'm not sure either of those assumptions are right," noted the Grand Commander. He tipped the bottle of pills and allowed several little blue tabs to drop into his palm. "But tell me, then, in what context do you best know of the concept of infinite?"

"Possibilities," said Prometheus.

The Grand Commander nodded. "Ah, yes, the dimensional void. But much of which we know of that is theoretical, since we can't pass into it."

"Pentos theorizes that each dimensional instance is continuously generating additional dimensional instances of its own, endlessly," said Prometheus. "She says that the moves in a traditional chess game can generate as many as a googol of instances on its own and chess is played simultaneously by millions around the world."

The Grand Commander considered than then made a dismissive noise. "Ten to the ten to the hundredth power of universes that only differ by moves in a single chess game. How boring." He popped the tabs into his mouth and replaced the bottom. "I will consider that, however, as I wait for these damn things to work."

Without ceremony, he moved to his bed and laid carefully on his back, folding his hands. He sighed loudly. "Prometheus, can you research some other non-medicinal sleep inducing methods for me?"

"Of course, Commander," replied the voice softly.

"I just haven't dreamt in five years," the Grand Commander yawned. "I used to like doing that. So many possibilities."

"Asclepius said it's possible that the improvements to your brain have overwritten the functions that enable late stage or REM sleep and you have simply lost the ability."

"_Simply_," snorted the Grand Commander.

"I was paraphrasing," offered Prometheus.

"Its fine, Prometheus. I'm aware that may be the case, and I'll have to rely on these drugs for the rest of my life." The Grand Commander closed his eyes again and tried to breathe evenly. "I did this to myself after all."

"With a noble goal in mind," added Prometheus.

"The path to hell..." started the Grand Commander before starting to slur his speech from grogginess.

"Good night, Commander," the voice comforted.

"Wait," the Grand Commander said slowly. "I just thought of something." He tried to keep his eyes open but the drugs were winning. "Carl Sagan."

"The astronomer and author?" asked Prometheus.

"Yes," nodded the Grand Commander slowly. "'A googol is precisely as far from infinity as the number one.'"

"Mathematically speaking, you are correct, Commander," said Prometheus. "The infinite is supposed to be incalculable and subsequently no number can approach it. But I believe Pentos intended on extrapolating her findings towards _Omega_, the representation of ordinals that approach infinity."

The sounds of peaceful slumber were the only replies and Prometheus said no more.

--------

**PART IV: **_**Technobabble**_

--------

The shimmering disc of light appeared, quite unheralded, in the middle of the intersection of Cardinal Ave and 31st Street in downtown Middleton. It shimmered and glowed as it floated horizontally, before the distant cries were heard. First they were soft then they grew in strength until it was clearly the sounds of two women yelling. A moment later a pair of slim, athletic girls fell out of the seemingly paper-thin disc and smacked their faces on the hard pavement below. As they slumped from the impact the disc of light vanished with a quiet "Paf."

The pale woman dressed in browns and blacks with long flowing black hair got up first, noticed she was still clutching the wrist of her traveling companion, and released it with disdain. Her face felt squashed and dirty and she rubbed it carefully to brush the bits and pieces of asphalt away. She glanced around cautiously as she felt her sore nose and realized they were in the middle of a street, but it was night and few cars could be heard and none were approaching.

Moments later her companion, the younger redhead in a purple shirt and black slacks picked her head up and looked around quickly. Her eyes brushed over the pale woman's briefly and then noticed the street and the dark, moonlit sky. "We should get off the street," Kim Possible said first.

"Hmph," said Shego, rolling her eyes. She put her hands on her knees and pushed herself to her feet and started heading for the curb. Kim followed seconds later and they looked around again to get their bearings.

"Downtown," noted Shego.

"Business district," Kim added. "Probably why there are no cars right now."

Shego nodded, then after a moment turned to face Kim. "Can we try, just once, to avoid trouble?"

Kim shivered in response. "I'm... not really ready to go through what we just did again. If you want to hide, we can hide."

"Well, not necessarily _hide_," Shego backpedaled. "I would love to sleep in a real bed for a change. Maybe even get some new clothes instead of washing these over and over again."

"You always used to wear the same clothes when you were Drakken's sidekick," said Kim. "What's so different now?"

"First, I was under contract as a mercenary, not a sidekick."

"_Fine_."

"Second, I wore the same combination but I had several copies of it," Shego pointed at herself. "These are going to wear through before the end of the month." She raised an eyebrow while looking back at Kim. "You too, by the look of it."

Kim blinked and examined herself and noticed for the first time the very slightly frayed ends of her pants and the stretched fabric on her sleeves. "Huh," said Kim in conclusion. Worries about style had fallen by the wayside several dimensions ago. "Well, it's not like we really have any money to go shopping, unless you've been hiding a wad of cash in those pants."

"Why would we need money to buy clothes?" asked Shego as if it were the most ignorant question in the world.

"No, we are not stealing," Kim replied firmly.

"Oh, come _on_, it's another dimension! They're never going to find us and even if they do what are they going to do, chase us across the void?"

"I don't like it," Kim shook her head. "I'm fine with avoiding any world-saving activities here but I'm not going to start committing crimes instead."

"Fine, I'll get new clothes," shrugged Shego. "Where do we meet?"

"You know I'm not going to let you steal right in front of me."

"Which would be why we're meeting up later rather than having you chase around me like a puppy," said Shego. She looked plainly back at Kim.

"Shego!" Kim said angrily. Why, she thought to herself, why in every world does she has to do this?

Without fanfare, Shego pushed her face right in front of Kim's and nearly snarled at her. "Look me in the eye and tell me you're going to stop me from getting the clothes we need to continue this journey."

Kim stared back evenly... for a few seconds. "Someone might give some to us again," she said weakly before letting her eyes fall.

"Twelve hours," Shego said, straightening. "Meet back here."

Kim nodded but Shego didn't bother looking and merely stormed away. After she was sure she was gone, Kim looked up again and found herself alone. She felt like she herself was lost, unsure what to do. She had to spend twenty-four hours in this dimension and she couldn't afford to let herself been seen or talk to anyone or risk ending up involved in whatever insanity her counterpart in this dimension was doing. She hated it.

It was an odd feeling, resenting yourself, one that Kim did not have a lot of experience with. But standing on this barren street corner at night, she hated that when the sun rose she'd have to keep herself hidden. She was just too well known to stroll down Middleton during the day without being mistaken for her other self and there was no telling if the Kim Possible in this world was a superhero, a tyrant, a spy, a thief, or even dead. Hiding from her own popularity, she thought only dumb celebrities had these problems.

Without a destination, she began to walk down the streets slowly, scanning the closed shops on the ground floors of the buildings, hoping to find something obvious that would tell her how this dimension differed from her own. She knew the many, many varied worlds that Wade spoke of in the first dimension meant that the differences wouldn't always be obvious and might only be that bellbottoms never came back in style or that apples were called pears. Still, she hoped for something big, as it had been rather obvious in nearly every world to date.

To her dismay most of the shops and stores were not only closed, but devoid of old newspapers or magazines that could have clued her into the change. She regrettably didn't know the Middleton skyline well enough to notice any new buildings or architecture, or even different stores in downtown. The only thing that piqued her interest was the bold, blue name on one of the skyscrapers that read 'SYNERTECH'. Kim was unfamiliar with any such company and figured she'd probably have known if it was in three story letters on the side of a Middleton skyscraper.

Figuring that was as good a start as any, she began heading towards the tower, keeping her eyes out for anything that might clue her into the purpose of the company. She didn't get more than a few feet into her search when she suddenly became aware of the fact that the brand was all over the place. Specifically, every twenty-five or thirty yards or so where, on both sides of the street, she saw a clean, new-looking phone booth inset into the buildings with the SYNERTECH name on it. She blinked at how obvious they were for her not to have noticed immediately, but she'd never really paid attention to public devices before and she initially thought they were ATMs. With the Kimmunicator and her cell phone before that, she rarely even had to consider using a public telephone and, rather, she'd thought they'd been largely phased out over time.

But not here, apparently, as they stood like legion, flanking the street, silent and waiting. Stepping up to one, Kim looked a little closer at the phone in the alcove and noticed the simple design. A sleek black box with glowing numbers and a short stalk jutting outwards from the top that had a speaker and a microphone affixed. The stalk didn't seem to be adjustable or removable, which confused Kim, who figured people would want more privacy in their calls than a speaker broadcasting their conversation to whoever was passing buy.

Instead of any coin insert, Kim noticed a small thumb-plate with a picture of a finger pressing down on it. It looked like an advanced fingerprint scanner, and Kim wondered if, in this world, fingerprints had phased out the use of physical money. Finally, on the bottom half of the shiny black box was a small screen that said "TAP HERE FOR DIRECTORY" and a slowly oscillating picture of the SYNERTECH logo.

These were definitely new, Kim concluded quickly. But strange phones and a new phone company she hadn't heard of didn't really amount to much. Maybe that was it for this world, a simple new competitor in the phone market that apparently outclassed its rivals to get installed across Middleton. Still, the design puzzled her. She knew that people always complained about privacy, and the phone in front of her hardly provided any. Why would it win out compared to a traditional hand-held phone?

Unwilling to spend more time on what was, essentially, just a fancy looking phone, Kim pressed onwards, still towards the SYNERTECH building, but a little unsure that she would find the answers she was looking for there.

---

"Commander!"

Bleary eyes tried to open but then gave up.

"Commander, please!"

A second attempt was foiled before it even began.

Suddenly something was touching him and shaking him, and the Grand Commander felt himself slowly gaining strength again. He did his best to gather his thoughts and push the all too tempting option of sleep aside to study the person who'd entered his room without permission.

The shape in front of him was blurry, but it started to coalesce. First he noticed the long dark hair and tanned skin. Then the stark white coat that contrasted her complexion and finally the slender arm that was touching his shoulder and shaking him. A few seconds later the picture sharpened slightly more, and the Grand Commander matched the voice up with a memory and finally kick started his brain again.

"Flores?" he asked, trying to shove his grogginess out of his voice. "What're you doing?"

"I tried to stop her, Commander," another voice responded, one that echoed in the room.

"You weren't doing anything," the intruder snapped. "I had to come in."

"It's against the rules," Prometheus said more forcefully.

"Can you two tell me what's going on?" asked the Grand Commander, interrupting the pointless conflict. "You've got me up, tell me what I need to hear."

"We picked up a sudden burst of void particles," said Flores, quickly.

The Grand Commander blinked, then blinked again. "Are you joking with me?" he asked. "Just 'cause I'm half asleep and drugged doesn't mean I won't--"

"I'm serious," Flores cut him off sharply.

"Oh my god..." said the Grand Commander, his mouth agape. "Oh my god! Where? When?!"

"Just over an hour ago," said Flores, releasing her hand from the Grand Commander's shoulder and stepping back from the bed. "Our passive sensors picked it up in downtown. It was a sudden burst of activity, registering over 9 on the Parker-Flanner scale, then a sharp decline a few seconds later with a lingering reading of about 1.7 to 1.9."

The Grand Commander's eyes were wide. "An exit," he said.

"I think so too," said Flores, pushing her hair behind her ear casually.

"Do we have eyes in the sky?" The Grand Commander started to shake the lethargy from his moves as he jumped out of bed and ran to his close to pull out his coat. "What about launch teams for containment?"

"We didn't have a satellite overhead at the time," said Flores. "But we've got one coming into range in..." she checked her watch. "Six minutes. We'll have live data then and will be able to track movement and get the launch team in the field."

The Grand Commander had already buttoned up his coat and pulled on his pants over his pajama shorts. He was quickly pushing his hand through his hair as he headed for the door. "Let's go," he said quickly. "Prometheus, you follow."

"Yes, Commander," said Prometheus. Flores simply followed quickly behind. They exited the small bedroom and walked through the Grand Commander's lounge before leaving through the main double doors into the hallways beyond. After a quick ride on an elevator to the penthouse command center the Grand Commander stepped out into the giant domed cap on top of SynerTech tower.

The handful of people in the center this late at night noticed his arrival and stood at attention for a second before turning back to their work. Nodding at people as he passed, the Grand Commander strode through the workstations to reach the center raised dais which was crested with five brass rimmed blue lights, a desk, and the command console that most of the building could be controlled through in one way or another.

The room had been organized around the center seat, with the curved workstations placed in concentric circles from the desk before ending in the tempered glass walls that made up the bottom of the dome. No less than a hundred people could be in the command center at one time, although in practice, they'd yet to go above forty. As it turned out, there was rarely a need for that many people, but it was nice to have the extra space in case they needed it

"What do we got?" the Grand Commander said aloud once he sat at his desk. The people at the desks remained working and said nothing, which was expected, as he wasn't talking to them.

One of the five blue circles, the one labeled 'UNOS' just beyond the edge of the Grand Commander's desk, began to glow brightly. A moment later it erupted in a light that quickly formed to show the torso, arms, and bust of a slim man wearing a long coat and glasses. The hologram looked up from a clipboard and stared simply at the Grand Commander.

"Eyes in the sky will be overhead in two minutes," the virtual man explained. "Launch teams are primed and deploying to the suspected exit area. Research teams are being awakened but it will take some time to get them to active status. Recommended approach is non-aggressive recovery and evacuation to the isolation levels until proper research can be conducted."

Suddenly another of the blue circles came to life, the ring around it was etched with the word 'DUOS.' When the light gathered from the emitter it showed a somewhat heavier man, also with a long white coat, and a slightly receding hairline. He shook his head slightly towards the first bluish hologram. "Please, we have to tread carefully. Whoever came out of that portal could be lost, confused, and alone, and kidnapping them 'non-aggressively' and sticking them in an empty white room is just going to send them over the edge."

"What's your suggestion then, Asclepius?" asked the Grand Commander. "Lure them here with cookies and milk?"

"Monitor it or them, then make a casual approach when the proper research team is available to make contact," replied Asclepius.

"Risk assessment?" asked the Grand Commander.

A third blue circle, 'TREOS', came to life revealing a more muscular man with short hair and a formal uniform. "We'd have heard anything by now if whatever it was that came out was destructive," he shrugged. "Eyes in the sky can keep close watch to make sure whatever it is doesn't wander anywhere dangerous. It's not like downtown is crowded right now. Hey, Zelus, how many people does the lingering void particles estimate?"

The first hologram adjusted his glasses. "All information regarding void particles is theoretical until today. However based on predictions there's a ninety percent chance that if they're human, assuming average body mass, there is between one and two, Cratos."

Cratos nodded. "Then the single team will be more than enough."

The fifth blue circle came to life, skipping the fourth, this one marked 'PENTOS'. A woman appeared, slightly mousy, but with a defiant stare framed by long, dark bangs. "If I can interrupt," she asked awkwardly. "You've waited five years for extra-dimensional evidence. There's no indication how long the visitor will stay in our world, shouldn't we at least go say hello as quickly as possible before it's too late?"

The other three holograms turned to look at her, each with a different but surprised expression. But Zelus was the first to speak, "She's correct, we can't take the chance that they'll leave before the research team gets out of bed. We should have a team retrieve her now."

The other virtual men nodded in agreement. Zelus glanced down at his clipboard once. "Eyes in the sky coming into range."

"Send the launch team as soon as you have a location," said the Grand Commander defiantly.

---

The men appeared from nowhere while Kim walked down Madison St towards the tall SYNERTECH building and her head spun at the sheer number of them when they rushed her. She silently cursed her luck and went on the defensive, raising her hands for an attack.

The first guy to come at her received a spin kick to the jaw and the next was just as lucky as she flipped over his head and then launched off his back to get enough height to clear the row of men behind him. She landed hard but rolled to keep her momentum. Planting her feet firmly she launched herself away from the mob and tried to quickly get some distance between them so she could find a place to hide.

Glancing back, she saw the dozen-or-so men running after her but Kim was easily increasing her distance. She smiled to herself for getting out of the situation quickly and with only one real strike to her attackers. Hopefully she could lose them and maintain her word to Shego about not getting involved in this world any more than she needed to.

She looked ahead again just in time to see a muscular man pop out of nowhere and clothesline her. Hitting the ground hard first on her back then on her skull, she felt the world lurch and spin. Her vision became spotty as she tried to push away the pain to get up and keep moving. But before she could raise her head the man had grabbed her and was pinning her arms against her sides in a vice-like grip that felt like steel. She struggled vainly but each time she did nausea would suddenly fill her gut and she stopped to avoid vomiting.

A minute later, when the other band of attackers reached her, her vision suddenly turned to black as a bag was thrown over her head and she began to feel movement like they were carrying her.

---

The Grand Commander stared intently as hundreds of lines of dense data flew past him on the large holographic screen above his desk. It was the raw data from the sensors that had registered the void particles he'd requested. Since it started he'd not said a word in over twenty minutes.

"Grand Commander?" Flores said as she stepped up onto his dais behind him. A couple seconds later the stream of data paused and he turned to face her.

"What is it?" asked the Grand Commander.

"The launch team reported in, they have the entity in custody," reported Flores. "Apparently she put up quite a fight."

"She?" asked the Grand Commander. "I'm assuming it's a human woman, then?"

"More than that, actually. You'll probably recognize her." Flores pulled out a thin panel from under her arm and showed it to the Grand Commander. A recording of the feed from the launch team's hoverlift played in one corner.

"A double of ours?" he looked up with a smile on his face.

"Void particle readings confirm it," said Flores. "Unless ours took a trip out and came back."

"You can't breach the dimensional void from our side," said the Grand Commander. "It has to be a double."

"Commander?" a voice came from behind him but he didn't turn. The hologram named Pentos continued. "I just want to point out that the dimensional barrier is a theory, not fact. It is possible she found a way to breach it."

"Someone who isn't_me_?" asked the Grand Commander, impatiently.

"The possibility exists," stated Pentos.

"No, it does not," the Grand Commander said sharply. "I was already the smartest person in the world _before_ I used the Phoebus Project to boost my intelligence beyond anything anyone had ever known. There's no way someone else figured out how to get across the dimensional barrier before me!"

"If my data is correct," Pentos replied. "The Phoebus Project could only augment your knowledge with the neural patterns of past geniuses. The odds that new geniuses unrepresented in your last Phoebus upgrade developing as time goes by increases."

The Grand Commander grit his teeth then slammed his fist into a button on the desk in front of him. With a shimmer the holograms vanished and he looked over his shoulder back at Flores, who looked at him evenly.

"I want to see this double as soon as she's in an isolation room," the Grand Commander said angrily. Without dismissing Flores, he turned back to the large screen and started the flow of data again.

---

After being lifted over someone's shoulder, Kim felt as though she'd been put in the back of a helicopter or truck but there was none of the noise she associated with the spinning blades of a copter or the loud engine of a van. Wherever she was it was slowly rocking back and forth as it moved and Kim tried her best to keep her nausea from returning.

"Who are you guys?" she asked aloud, since no one had bothered to gag her before stuffing her head in a bag.

"_Quiet_," a stern voice said nearby. Kim assumed it was the more muscular fellow how had knocked her down and previously carried her.

"What did I do?" Kim persisted, hoping for some clue as to what she'd just been dragged into.

"Are you deaf? I said, _quiet_."

"I think I have some right to know why you grabbed me right off the street!" Kim yelled.

"You'll find out soon enough," the voice returned.

Kim moved slightly to test the strength of the bonds placed on her arms but found them almost entirely immovable. She puzzled at there being no wiggle room. Even the tightest ropes or manacles left some space for movement or the bonds would cut off circulation. Kim felt neither the tingling pressure of her arms losing blood or any freedom of moving her arms away from her sides.

"You're not from SYNERTECH, are you?" asked Kim, going out on a limb. So far, if there was anything different in the universe, it often was the reason behind her troubles.

There was a strange silence before the stern man spoke again. "Be quiet."

Kim sighed, there was little she could do right now anyway if it turned out she'd been captured by fluffy bunnies or the spawn of satan. She settled in for the ride. A few minutes later, however, the vehicle they were in suddenly stopped and she felt herself being lifted again.

"I can walk, you know," said Kim, grumbling while slung over some guy's back.

"Boy, you jabber on a lot more than our Kim," said the man holding her. Kim clung to his words as the first bit of information she'd gotten since seeing the mob. Whoever this man was, he knew who she was, and he knew she was not the same Kim Possible he knew.

Kim turned that information around in her head as much as possible to infer more. Either they knew about alternate realities or they thought she was a clone or robot. He also said 'our,' as if the Kim Possible of this world was affiliated with him somehow, enough to use a possessive. She wondered if she'd finally stumbled onto the world where she was a villain. She'd been expecting it since she saw herself working as a spy for Monique. Could she defeat herself, she idly wondered? Would it be hard, or awkward?

Suddenly Kim felt a strong breeze of cold air on her back, as if it were blowing down on her somehow. She shivered but a moment later the man carrying her stopped and she felt herself being placed in a chair. Finally free from her captor's shoulder Kim immediately moved to stand up and move around but two firm hands held her in her chair.

"What the hell do you guys want?" Kim demanded.

She heard some voices murmuring nearby and one of them spoke up. "You'll get your answers in five minutes." Then returned to murmuring.

"Do I get a beverage for my wait?" asked Kim, annoyed. She spat air out of her mouth when the bag got caught hoping to push it away. She felt like she'd just eaten hair and coughed.

After an eternity later, she heard a voice say, "Okay, you can take it off." Kim held still as she felt a presence near her again and suddenly the bag was grabbed and yanked off her head, blinding her in white light. She squinted to help adjust to the new brightness and when the image cleared she gasped at what she saw.

---

The Grand Commander stepped off the elevator on Isolation Floor A first and then paused for Flores to exit behind him and then lead the way to the cell. He was anxious. So many years of theorizing about alternate dimensions but being foiled at every turn by some unknown barrier keeping them locked in their home, but now he was about to speak to a genuine dimensional traveler. He hoped she would be able to tell him everything about the technology to breach the dimensional void but given who it was who showed up, the Grand Commander was concerned that she was only using the technology that someone else developed.

Still, it would be enlightening to hear about the experience, and maybe, just maybe, if she made it here, she had a way of getting back. And if that was true...

"She's just up ahead," said Flores as they walked down a long white hallway.

"What has she said so far?" asked the Grand Commander.

"Apparently not much but questions about why we grabbed her and some choice vulgarity about what she was going to do to us."

"Figures," the Grand Commander rolled his eyes. "Is she restrained?"

"Yes," nodded Flores. "Didn't want to run any risk of attack or escape. I've instructed the team not to speak to her, to keep her in the dark as long as possible, so you can control the reveal of information. I'm hoping they followed my direction this time."

"I wouldn't count on it, Zita," the Grand Commander said with a smirk. "But it'll be fine."

"If you say so," Zita Flores shrugged. She motioned to the door ahead. "This one."

"Please wait out here," the Grand Commander asked, then opened the door without waiting for a reply.

Inside the isolation room there was first an antechamber with a desk, computers, and a large two-way glass window so that the isolation subject could be studied without seeing his or her observers. Several of the launch squad were here, or so the Grand Commander assumed looking at their uniforms. They came to attention when the saw him but he simply waved it off.

Peering through the glass, the Grand Commander studied the girl on the other side. She was strung up on a metal table, her arms and legs manacled. She looked angry and was shouting something she couldn't hear as the antechamber's speakers were muted. He gently depressed the blue button by the window to activate them.

"--cking assholes grabbing just any damn person! Let me out of here this instant or I'll burn this whole place down to just slag!"

The speaker squeaked a few times as it reached its volume limit then went silently for a moment as the woman caught her breath. The Grand Commander took that opportunity to get a word in.

He depressed a red button, turning on the microphone in the antechamber. "We have taken special measures to prevent that, Shego," he said. "But I promise if you play nice you won't have a reason to use them."

"Who the hell--" Shego growled then hesitated. "Wait... I know that voice. Say something else you prick!"

"Like what?" asked the Grand Commander. "'Kim, I found a way to defeat Drakken's device'?"

"The NERDLINGER!" howled Shego pulling again on her restraints. "Let me out of here!" She looked furious, almost rabid, as she struggled.

Wade Load, the Grand Commander of SynerTech, frowned. "You're going to hurt yourself if you continue that, and I assure you, it will do you no good."

"Why have you done this?" demanded Shego. "Apart from because you have a death wish."

"Because you're from another dimension," Wade said plainly. "And that fascinates me."

"I'm not a pet in a goddamn zoo!"

"Calm yourself or you'll have a coronary," cautioned Wade. "I just have some questions to ask, but I knew you'd never answer them without a little persuasion."

"Watch me persuade your jaw into breaking in half," said Shego.

"I have ways of calming you down, you probably don't want me using them."

"Oooh, I'm so scared," sneered Shego.

"Have you ever heard of a device called the moodulator?" asked Wade.

Shego hesitated. "Put that _thing_ on me and--"

"And you'll what, struggle ineffectually at your bonds. Let's be realistic, Shego. You'll help me one way or another."

Shego stared back, defiantly, but said nothing.

Wade turned off the microphone and nodded to the launch team. They turned and left the antechamber heading back out to the hall.

"Okay, Shego," Wade said after turning the mic back on. "How have you been?"

"Oh, fuck you."

---

Kim's eyes widened as she stared at the woman standing before her. She was slim but definitely athletically built, with long red hair in a pony tail and what almost looked like a SWAT Team tactical vest over a black tank top and jeans. There was no way of denying it, though, it was herself -- the Kim Possible from this dimension. Around her were several people dressed in a variety of ways, many of them Kim didn't recognize, but some she did from school. They, like the woman in the center, were all several years older than she last remembered them.

Kim looked at her double, the apparent leader of the gang, and swallowed. "Hey... me."

"Hey there, Kim," said the other Kim Possible with a grin.

Kim tried to think of a story or some excuse, something of limiting how much information she gave away. She was in a terrible situation and the more she kept hidden, the more she'd have to bargain with later, assuming this Kim Possible was evil.

"I don't suppose I've traveled in time, have I?" Kim asked, hoping to throw them off.

"Nope," the other Kim Possible said confidently with a quick shake of her head. "I'd remember. Also," she reached into one of her vest pockets and pulled out a dark blue Kimmunicator. It was the one that Wade several dimensions ago had given Kim. "The log on this clearly says you just opened a dimensional gateway."

"Ah," Kim said, a little disappointed. It would be tough defeating herself in combat after all. "So..."

"Why did I have you brought here?" asked the other Kim Possible.

"Yeah," shrugged Kim.

"Because you were in danger out there," said the other Kim Possible. "And, all things considered, whatever you're like I didn't want you in the enemy's hands if I could avoid it." She looked a little uneasy but continued to look Kim right in the eyes. "I'm sorry about Shego, though, we weren't able to get to her in time."

"Shego was taken?" Kim said suddenly. "By who? That SynerTech place?"

The other Kim made an awkward expression and bit her lip. "Why don't you tell me why you're here first?"

"Is she alright?" pressed Kim.

"It's hard to say," the other Kim Possible admitted reluctantly. "She hasn't been in their custody for very long yet." She motioned her head towards one of her gang behind Kim and they stepped into view holding some aerosol can pointed at her.

"Please close your eyes and mouth," the gang member, a tall woman with long blonde hair, said politely.

"What is that?" asked Kim, alarmed.

"A solvent," said the woman and began spraying.

"Ack!" Kim closed her eyes shut as quick as she could and held them shut while she heard the brief spraying. Something cool had been sprayed on her skin but it quickly evaporated. She rubbed her eyes instinctively, in case there was any on her eyelids. "What the hell was that about?" she asked as she finished rubbing and opened her eyes.

The other Kim Possible looked at her. "It dissolved the bonding agent we used to keep you from moving during your trip here."

Kim looked at her arms and realized they were free. "Oh."

The other Kim pulled over a chair and sat in front of her. "Please, talk to me first, then we'll see about your friend."

"Friend? You mean Shego," said Kim.

"She's not your friend? You seemed worried about her."

"Is she your friend... in this world I mean?" asked Kim, trying to keep from answering questions until she knew what to think of this dimension.

"Sorta, I guess," shrugged the other Kim. "She's in Europe right now running an independent operation but we've got the same goals these days." She blinked, then chuckled slightly. "Stop doing that."

"What?" asked Kim, innocently.

"Answering my questions with questions," replied the other Kim.

"I'm going to keep doing it as long as it works," commented Kim.

The other Kim smiled then put her elbows on her knees and rested her head in her palms, staring at the foreign universe Kim. She said nothing.

"What?" asked Kim.

"I can wait here all night," said the other Kim. "But you seem to be quite concerned about your 'not-friend.'"

Kim weighed the odds before her. On one hand, Shego was far from helpless and probably could take care of herself in any situation Kim could find herself in. On the other hand, Kim was not blind to the fact that since that first dimension where Shego was tortured by Drakken, she'd not raised a hand in violence to a single person. That worried Kim more than anything right now.

Finally, she sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"Why are you here?" the other Kim said simply.

"Accident," said Kim. "Drakken did something stupid and Shego and I ended up being flung quite far from home."

"But this isn't your first stop since then," the other Kim said, rather than asked.

"Yeah," nodded Kim. "First we... went to an alternate dimension that seemed to be twenty years or so into the future. There..." she trailed off. She was going to say what she needed to and nothing more, she resolved. "We were given a chance to find our way home."

"By randomly traveling to other dimensions until you ended up in the right one?" asked the other Kim. She sounded like she was skeptical. "Given the minutia of differences between possible worlds how could you even know if you'd made it back?"

Kim frowned. "It was a long shot, but they didn't really know very much about alternate dimensions in that world." She looked at the other Kim through narrowed eyes. "But you seem to."

"Not as much as you think," the other Kim said quickly, then changed the subject. "What happened to Drakken?"

"Haven't seen him," supplied Kim. "Either he was sent to some other dimension than we were, or he was vaporized in the blast."

"Blast?" asked the other Kim cautiously.

"Er..." Kim cursed herself silently. "Yeah, that's what caused us all to be sent off to other dimensions."

"What sort of explosion?"

"The dimension-y sort?" posited Kim. "I have no idea!"

The other Kim turned to look at the crowd behind her but Kim couldn't determine who, if anyone, she was looking for confirmation from. She felt she'd given them what they'd asked. "What happened to Shego?" she said firmly.

The other Kim turned back to her, then hesitated.

"Please," said Kim.

"She's been taken by SynerTech," said the other Kim. "Around the same time we grabbed you. Odds are that the Grand Commander is interrogating her right now about the same things I was... only less nicely."

"Can't imagine that," said Kim bitterly. "How did you guys find us so fast?"

"The Grand Commander has been fixated on dimensional travel lately, without any real success. He seems to have figured out an awful lot about how do it though, which confuses us."

"Who is this SynerTech Grand Commander?" asked Kim. "He some corporate villain in this world?"

The other Kim looked uneasy but responded without delay. "He's the founder of SynerTech, a massive corporation that controls half of the planet's technological resources, probably the most powerful person in the world, and... my former friend. Yours too, I imagine."

Kim almost didn't want to know. "Who?"

"Wade Load," said the other Kim.

Kim gasped. "But... but why? Not the Attitudinator again?"

The other Kim looked away.

"What is it?" asked Kim. "What happened to him?"

"Did you know a girl named Monique?"

Kim frowned. "Yes."

"She ... got sick," the other Kim Possible said hesitantly. Then she looked away. "I ... had no idea how he felt about her."

"He had a crush on her in my world," offered Kim. "It got out of hand at one point but we dealt with it. No harm done."

"Then that's where our worlds diverge," said the other Kim without turning back.

---

"You ever heard of Fermi's Paradox?" asked the Grand Commander to his captive.

Shego stared at him. "Screw you."

"No? I'll explain," continued Wade. "The theory has to do with alien life. Statistically, since the universe is unending, and the number of stars number in the quadrillions, even if Earth-like planets were a vast minority and a fraction of a percent of those had intelligent life then there should still be life practically everywhere. The paradox states that if life is so ubiquitous in the galaxy, how come we've never see any sign of it?"

"Go to hell," spat Shego.

"I'm serious," continued Wade. "There's plenty of scientific evidence pointing to high odds that life exists somewhere else in the galaxy, so either there isn't and we're alone, or we're just not looking in the right way for it. So a lot of study in extra-terrestrial life is focused on finding new and better ways of listening to the stars."

Wade, who had entered Shego's isolation chamber by this time, stood in front the chair he was sitting on before the table his prisoner was strapped to. Pacing back and forth, he motioned with his hands. "After three years of studying and testing the limits of our dimension, I know everything there is to know about breaching the dimensional void, but I can't do it. I've tried thousands of permutations.

"So I looked to the Paradox. Research says that there are other dimensions out there, probably one for nearly every possible outcome of every decision you make. If that's true, there has to be a dimension where my research worked, where I was able to breach the void and visit the universe of possibilities. In fact, there would be many, many dimensions where my research worked. So there should have been at least one dimensional visitor here since the dawn of time. It's just that nobody noticed."

"You sure as hell like to hear yourself talk," sneered Shego.

Wade continued on. "And just like SETI before me, I turned my attention towards observation. Developed technology that would detect a dimensional breach into our world. After that, it was just waiting and watching and hoping Fermi would be on my side."

He walked up next to Shego to look down at her face. "And here you are, my living, breathing, snide remark making proof that it's possible."

"Well great for you, now let me go so I can melt your eyeballs," said Shego through gritted teeth.

"But we're not done yet," said Wade. "You have to show me how you did it so I can visit alternate dimensions as well."

"There's nothing out there you wanna see, doughboy," said Shego.

"Wrong!" yelled Wade. "There is, in fact, something in particular out there I very much want to see. And you and I are going to get really friendly until I get what I need from you."

"Ew," shivered Shego. "I ain't getting friendly with you nerdlinger**."**

"That's okay," smiled Wade. He reached under the table Shego was strapped to and pulled open a drawer which held a gun-like device and several small tubes of colored liquid. "This doesn't need to be a voluntary process." He pulled out the gun and loaded a tube into the back of it.

"What is that?" asked Shego, eyeing the tube with suspicion.

"A little nano-enriched solution we make here at SynerTech," explained the Grand Commander.

"Some torture I presume?" said Shego. She trembled slightly, recalling the last time she was strapped to a table at the mercy of a mad scientist. She tried to hide it best.

"Not at all! There's a little discomfort but no pain, immediate or lasting. The little machines circulate your bloodstream, using the protein solution as fuel to replicate and spread. Eventually they make their way to the brain and latch on."

Shego clenched her fists. "Mind control."

"Nah, although I suppose I could rig a batch to achieve that," said Wade. "These guys form the wireless interface to the neurologic chips in computers. Messages pass right from the brain onto the screen. Normally voluntarily, but we'll make an exception for you today."

"You're going to download my brain?" asked Shego, finally starting to calm.

"Pretty much," nodded Wade. "It's based off an old brain draining device that Drakken built and used on Mr. Dr. Possible for the Hephaestus secrets. This version is less aggressive and avoids the disorientation and memory loss inherent in Drakken's version. Takes a while for the little buggers to circulate around and fully synchronize with your brain, though. I'm still working on an accelerating agent, but I've been obviously distracted."

He checked the gun-like injector again and moved over to press it against Shego's arm.

"Wait," she said suddenly and Wade hesitated. "I don't actually know anything. I'm just along for the ride; I can't tell you anything you want to know."

For a second, Wade didn't move, his eyes fixed where they had been, staring into nothing. Then he pulled his hand away and held the injector with both hands idly. "Oddly forthcoming of you to say that," he said, slightly puzzled. "'Along for the ride' is an interesting statement. It implies that you are going somewhere but someone else is in control. Who is in control of your 'ride' then, Shego?"

Shego frowned slightly. "It's just a figure of speech."

"Yes it is, but you used it naturally," said Wade. "You intended the full meaning." He thought for a second then put the injector back into the drawer and closed it. His eyes traveled over Shego's body. "You usually dress in that black/green outfit, don't you?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Shego snapped.

"But you're not now. In fact, this looks more like something Kim Possible would wear."

"Pfft," sounded Shego. "As if."

"No, if your world is anything like ours, when Shego was your age she would never be caught dead like this unless she had no choice," said Wade. "Like, if she were in another dimension and had no access to her wardrobe."

"I don't know where you're going with this," said Shego evenly.

Wade's eyes flicked back and forth between Shego and the mirrored glass at the end of the room. "Someone else came with you," he concluded. "And that person has the means to control your trip through the dimensional void."

"Whatever you say, crazy," Shego mocked but Wade had already turned his back to her and was heading for the door. "Hey? Where you going?" He said nothing and exited.

Once in the antechamber Wade stood just beyond the door and thought. "Pentos."

A moment later a voice filtered into the room. "Yes, Grand Commander?"

"What's the current reading of void particles off Shego on the Parker-Flanner scale?" asked Wade.

"Zero point seven," came the simply reply.

"That's too low," Wade commented. "The original reading was 1.7 to 1.9. The decay is too high. There's got to be another person who came with her."

"Shall I begin a more in-depth scan on the region?" asked Pentos.

Wade shook his head. "No. Point seven is more than enough to show up on the passive scanners. They must be outside the sensor network. Anyway, there's no need, they'll be coming here eventually."

"Why?" asked Pentos.

"To rescue her, of course," said Wade, pointing through the window behind him. "If she's lying to protect who she came with, she must at least care in some capacity for that person. If she's anything like our Shego, she doesn't just do that for anyone so the odds are the other person cares about her too, which means they'll come... sooner or later."

"That is a number of assumptions," pointed out Pentos. "Is that not a safe practice to base a hypothesis on?"

"Trust me on this one," assured Wade. "There aren't as many assumptions as you presume. Tell Cratos we need standby deployment within the building. A dozen MFRs will be fine. I'm going back to ops."

"What about Shego?"

Wade looked back through the glass. "She's bait, but she doesn't need to be uncomfortable. Prometheus can set her up a suite; one of the mid-levels."

---

Kim sat in a small room inside whatever facility the other Kim was working out of and looked at the laptop screen that was on the table before her. She couldn't help feel a slight wrenching feeling deep in her chest. She'd been forced to see some terrible things in the last few days of dimensional travel and she wondered if there would be any respite to this avalanche of depressing worlds.

"She died," Kim summarized sadly after looking at the article displaying on the screen. It was the front page of the Middleton Times from three years ago showing a picture of a Monique next to a picture of a very publicized and apparently massively attended funeral. The Kim Possible from this universe was in the funeral picture as one of the attendants carrying the casket.

"Yeah," that same Kim Possible said now standing beside her. "Wade built all of SynerTech from a simple front for his patents to a large conglomerate of scientists and researchers in just two years, but not even that was enough to bring her back." She turned away from the screen but continued to stand next to Kim. "After failing to save her, he was desperate for some other meaningful pursuit to fill the gap left by her death. I was still... cordial with him back then. I told him that with all the wealth and technology he'd developed with SynerTech he should try focusing on the broader picture. Look beyond just Monique and see the world at large. He took my advice to heart," she said bitterly.

"What do you mean?" asked Kim to her counterpart. "Why are you enemies with him and SynerTech now?"

"He went too far," explained the other Kim Possible. "He'd already crossed into some dangerous territory looking to revive Monique from her Persistent Vegetative State, but it just got out of hand after that. He already had a massively public image from his work in SynerTech and some by-products of his research had already filtered into the consumer market with incredible success. He was being heralded as the next technology super-genius, the guy who was going to shape the future."

The other Kim Possible turned back to the computer, banished the article on Monique, and brought up several other stories from the Middleton Times. "He quickly used the wealth generated by SynerTech to start recruiting the proper 'talent.' Because of me, he already knew the most brilliant minds in almost every field and sold them on joining his enterprise with the best currency in the world: sympathy over a tragic loss. SynerTech branched out, by the end of that first year after Monique's passing he was marketing technology for every consumer market. Despite selling his products for a mere fraction above cost, he was becoming increasingly wealthy and his technology was being adopted at a record pace. In essence, he was ruling the economic world."

"Okay," interrupted Kim. "So he became 'businessman extraordinaire.' Didn't he deserve it after everything he went through?"

"Sure he deserved a break," admitted the other Kim Possible. "And that's why I did nothing during that time. I talked with him once in a while but those times were getting few and far in between. Then, early last year, he made me obsolete by creating his first model of Multi-purpose Field Response units. Androids he'd developed with Dr. Porter and Dr. Freeman that could be deployed instantly around the world and respond to any threat or menace using the telephone-teleport technology he took from Dementor. People were initially weary of the teams of robots with instant access to them until the Second Great Kanto Earthquake nearly annihilated Japan. The initial MFR launch teams saved probably millions of lives and the 600 MFR units Wade sent to Japan as free labor for the rebuilding effort solidified their place in our world."

"That's where the title comes from," she continued. "Wade is the Grand Commander of the MFR army he's built. Two thousand metal soldiers as his fingertips."

"Kinda Big Brother-ish," said Kim, shrugging. "But where is the part where he starts _kidnapping_ _people off the street_?"

The old Kim Possible looked uncomfortably to the side. "He'd always been doing that, but I just didn't notice until earlier this year. For every 'great mind' he was recruiting with promises of research labs and profit sharing, he was grabbing two off the street and _inducting_."

"Inducting?"

"I should have realized it earlier." She looked up towards Kim again. "People I knew suddenly dropping out sight. SynerTech research stations were popping up across the planet ripe with the best and brightest ready to contribute to the Grand Commander's great dream. Somewhere in the mix I realized I hadn't heard from GJ in a over a year only to discover they were essentially gone. Dissolved from some sort of internal strife and Doctor Director considered 'At Large.'"

The other Kim Possible leaned against a table and hung her head. "I didn't want to believe it so I didn't. You can't ever see the things that are closest to you." Her fingers dug into the wooden surface. "Then he came for Dad."

"Dad?" the traveling Kim perked up and looked to the other Kim Possible with wide eyes. "What did he do to Dad?"

"As you can imagine," started the other Kim Possible. "He did not get on board with what Wade was offering."

"Naturally."

"So Wade had him taken to be coerced into working for him. Typically he uses a combination of drugs and technology on his captives. But whatever he did with Dad..." she shook her head. "I've never been able to find him again."

Kim's jaw went slack and she lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," said the other Kim Possible. "It's been a while since then, I've... accepted it."

"How is Mom handling it?"

"Not particularly well," said the other Kim Possible. She turned back to face the traveler again. "But she's coping. She's with Shego's team in Europe, actually. She ... wanted to get away from Middleton."

"I can't blame her." Kim shook her head. "And... the Tweebs?"

The other Kim Possible chuckled briefly. "I haven't heard them called that in a while."

"They're okay, then?" asked Kim.

The other Kim Possible nodded. "I get updates periodically. They're... well, let's say they've got their own kind of rebellion going on."

"Do I even want to know?" asked Kim.

"Let me just say they're 'above all of this' and leave it at that," the other Kim Possible said with a grin. She laughed a little to herself again then looked back at her guest. "Anyway, after that I got involved in the underground and here we are today."

Kim looked around slowly. "Just like that..."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Kim looked away.

"Are you okay?"

"No, but I'll deal." She sighed. "I'm still not used to the people I care about being twisted into villains. You'd think after seeing it so many times now I would be but..."

The other Kim Possible walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "I understand. Tara can take you to what best passes for a room around here; give you some time to digest everything."

"Thanks," said Kim. She felt exhausted all of a sudden. The other Kim Possible waved to a blonde woman in the room. "Wait, what about Shego? We can't leave her with Wade."

The other Kim Possible nodded. "I know. We're working on a plan to get her out. I'll let you know as soon as we have something."

Kim let herself be led out as the other Kim Possible began talking to the rest of the people in the room.

---

Immediately after being dumped into the room, Shego turned on her heels and began throwing balls of bright green fire towards the door and walls. They splashed against the pristine surfaces around her, melting slightly then shimmering and restoring the flawless surface again. Shego looked at the walls, puzzled, and ran her hand over the surface. Not even a bit warm, she noted.

Taking a step back, Shego clapped her hands together and closed her eyes to concentrate. Her hands started to glow, warmly at first, then growing in intensity until the bright light blinding and the ball of fire had grown several feet in diameter. Shego could feel the barely restrained energy growing between her palms and it excited her, causing tingling across her skin. She'd always loved the power and the feeling of controlling something meant to be wild and destructive. She reveled in the thrill.

"Please," came a voice suddenly. "Do not do anything that could harm yourself or anyone else residing on this floor."

Shego's eyes snapped open at the sudden voice and looked around in a panic to see where it came from. As she did she lost her concentration on the ball of fire in her hands and she felt it surging forth, desperate to grow beyond the restraints she'd put on it. The fire immediately grew to twice the size it was and Shego felt the flames lap at her face, the heat causing her skin to flush. She panicked and tried to control the expansion, letting out the fire slowly as heat instead of explosive energy but it had slipped beyond her grasp in her distraction and she had only a second to send it away before it burned her alive.

Without a second to spare to consider the best place to send her shot, Shego turned towards the windows and tried her best to throw the expanding ball of flame away from her. It exploded into a plume of green light and blew out the windows as forcefully as it blew back at Shego, tossing her off her feet and across the room, impacting on the wall opposite the large windows.

With the windows gone the fire quickly evaporated and dissipated leaving only silence behind and the quiet, tinny, hollow sound of the windows slowly repairing themselves.

"Shego?" the voice said again, sounding worried. "Are you alright? Your vitals are racing. Do you require medical assistance?"

"Nngg," said Shego as she shook her head to clear the throbbing and the ringing in her ears. She felt like she'd just run through a bonfire, her skin sore and slightly dark. Ever since being changed by that comet, she'd had an incredible resistance to heat and burns, mostly as a defense against her own powers hurting her, but there were still some extreme conditions that could get to her. That explosion was apparently just enough to hurt her.

Shego pushed her back against the wall and let out a breath. She tried to think of something other than the burning pains on her arms and cheeks which caused the reality of what she'd just done to flood her mind. She'd gotten excited by the power again and it had burned her. All she needed was a reason to be angry and here she was, back in her old habits. Habits that would lead to that first world where she'd become a tyrant and apparently blind to the destruction she was causing.

The thought caused her to shake slightly. She thought she was changing. She had gone several worlds without indulging in her power, she even found ways to avoid fighting, but it took just a taste, a careless moment, and here she was, basking in the addictive flow of her power again, ignorant of the potential danger.

Until it burned her.

Shego buried her face in her hands. She needed to find her limit. If she learned anything from recent worlds it was that she could not simply discard her power. Things were turning violent more often than not and Kim and her journey wasn't going to get any easier. She just needed to institute a modicum of control over herself. Recognize her limits and hold herself back.

She wished it was as easy to say as it was to do.

"Ms. Shego?" the voice came once more.

"What?" Shego replied. Ignoring the person had apparently not caused them to go away and she was frustrated. "Who are you? _Where_ are you?"

"Are you all right?" asked the voice, ignoring the other questions.

"I'm fine," muttered Shego, then added, "Just a little singed."

"I will have the doctor send some burn medicine," replied the voice.

"Who are you?" Shego repeated.

"My name is Prometheus," said the voice. "I am an artificial construct that resides in this building, and the Grand Commander's aide-de-camp."

"An AI?" asked Shego, picking her head up.

"Essentially," said Prometheus. "I am a fourth generation artificial intelligence, capable of modifying nearly seventy percent of my base code for evolutionary purposes."

"So, what? You're here to torture me some more?" said Shego.

"Not at all. As a guest of the Grand Commander's, it is my responsibility to ensure your needs are responded to."

"My needs?" balked Shego. "I need to get out of this place! Can you respond to that?"

"Unfortunately no," said Prometheus. "The Grand Commander wishes you to remain here, for the time being."

"Some 'guest,'" spat Shego.

"I am sorry that I cannot grant your request of freedom, however if there is anything else I can do to make your stay here more comfortable, please let me know. I am always listening."

"Like 'Big Brother,' huh?"

"Are you referring to the content of the book '1984' by George Orwell or the television broadcast show during the era of the so-called 'reality TV'?" asked Prometheus.

"Feh," said Shego. "You have a lot of evolving yet to do if you think I'm referring to... wait, the era of reality TV has passed? Meaning it's dead?"

"Not completely, as no art form entirely vanishes if a record exists of it, but it's no longer considered very entertaining and has gone into recession in favor of voluntary synergistic developed scenarios or VSDS."

"Well, that's the first good thing I've heard about this world yet."

---

The soft knock at the door startled Kim for a second as she sat on the cot provided to her by Tara but she quickly composed herself in time to see her counterpart slowly enter.

"Hey," said Kim.

"How's it going?" asked her counterpart.

"I'm okay, honestly," Kim said with a shrug. "I've seen worse than this world. It's just creepy for things to look so normal but be so ... wrong."

"I can't imagine." The other Kim Possible came over to sit beside Kim on the bed. "Sometimes I wonder how we screwed up so bad that Wade is the biggest bad guy in our world. I would have figured Drakken or Monkey Fist but Wade?" She sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up," said Kim. "The last place we were at it was Ron who was the bad villain." She paused. "Come to think of it, where is Ron?"

"He's somewhere in Japan," said the other Kim Possible. "He moves so much I can never tell where."

"Yamanouchi?"

"Somewhat. SynerTech's infiltration of Japan is substantially greater than the rest of the world because of its role in rebuilding it after the earthquake. Ron and his group -- which includes many of the Yamanouchi ninjas -- have taken to trying to disrupt the vice-like grip the MFR's have over the people there. We... disagree on their approach."

"What do you mean?" asked Kim.

"They're terrorists," said the other Kim Possible sharply. "They attack MFR repair facilities and try to disrupt their patrol and re-supply routes. I admit things are bad, but I think it's just the wrong message to be sending. We're on the side of justice, we shouldn't be acting like bad guys."

"What else can you do? It's not like you have a public face or any chance in a political battle. Short of assassination, how do you intend to get Wade to back off?"

The other Kim Possible looked away, uncomfortably. "We're investigating our options."

Kim frowned. "You're not really thinking about assassination... are you?"

"No... but we haven't completely ruled it out either. Right now the best we've been able to do is stay slightly ahead of his intended kidnappings and protect a few meager resources so they can remain free. You're right, though, we haven't come up with any ideas on how to bring him down."

"Well you shouldn't be thinking of killing anyone," said Kim. "It's not right and you certainly wouldn't be able to criticize Ron's tactics if you go and start murdering your problems. You said you were on the side of justice."

"I know I did, but justice isn't just black and white," said the other Kim Possible. "Sometimes you have to do deplorable things to survive. Sometimes the ends do justify the means."

"We'll have to disagree, then," said Kim. "Because for all the lousy worlds I've been to already, one thing has become clear: once you decide it's okay to take lives, things start to get worse for us and our friends."

The other Kim Possible had no response and they sat in silence for a minute.

Then she looked up suddenly. "Oh, I came here to tell you that we got word that Shego is okay, she's not harmed."

"She is?" Kim bolted up and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Where is she?"

"She was taken by Wade and brought to his tower, but she wasn't subjected to extended torture and she's being held as a sort of 'guest' for the time being," said the other Kim Possible.

"A guest?" asked Kim. "Don't tell me she charmed him? Wade always had a soft spot for a pretty face. Especially one that was real."

"No, no," the other Kim shook her head. "From what I've heard it's just one step up from being a prisoner. Wade is holding her hoping to smoke you out."

"Me?"

"He knows you're from another dimension," said the other Kim Possible. "He's hoping using Shego as bait will draw you out and he'll be able to grab you and get you to give him the means to travel dimensions."

"Wow," said Kim. "That's pretty detailed."

"We have a guy on the inside," said the other Kim Possible.

"Inside SynerTech?" asked Kim. "I thought you said those guys were all either lavishly devoted to him or brainwashed into servitude. Who did you get to turn?"

"I don't really want to say too much," said the other Kim Possible. "Let's just say, there are a few people that even the great Wade Load never even considered might turn against him."

Kim stood and paced slightly. "So what's the plan?"

"No plan yet," admitted the other Kim Possible, leaning back on her hands. "SynerTech tower is a fortress, not to mention they know we're coming. We have to be careful."

"As long as they're not hurting Shego, I'm okay with waiting a short while to make a plan," said Kim. "But I don't want her thinking we've abandoned her." She wrung her hands slightly as she walked.

"Don't worry, we'll get to her," said the other Kim Possible, watching her counterpart. She hesitated for a moment. "I guess you two have become close, jumping from world to world, only able to rely on each other."

"What?" said Kim, surprised. "No... well, I suppose. Not really, but yeah, we trust each other a little more than we used to."

"You seem very worried about her," said the other Kim Possible softly.

"She..." Kim struggled to find the words. "Got hurt. On the first world we went to."

"Hurt?"

"Tortured... brutally," admitted Kim. "By Drakken, Duff Killigan and Monkey Fist. It really ... I think she's still suffering from it, to tell you the truth. And the worst part is... I think she blames herself for it."

"Herself? That doesn't sound like Shego," said the other Kim Possible. "Why would she blame herself for being tortured? Just because she couldn't get away?"

"Maybe that's part of it, but..." Kim shook her head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that she was broken in a bad way when I finally got to her and it's taken a while for her to get back somewhat to her old self. I don't want to think she's alone again, not if she's still hurting."

The other Kim Possible looked surprised and Kim turned away from her to hide the flush on her face. "Yes, we have gotten close," she admitted. "She's the only connection I have to home. I ... don't want to do this without her."

"You don't have to be embarrassed," said the other Kim Possible. She stood up and walked over to Kim. "I'm not a kid any more; I'm not going to say, 'Ew, she has villain cooties!'"

Kim laughed quietly.

"Friends have always been important to... us," said the other Kim Possible. "I understand why you're worried about her. We'll find a way to rescue Shego, I promise."

Kim nodded slowly. "Thanks."

----

The Grand Commander sat quietly reviewing the raw sensor data a third time from the previous night when Zita Flores came up to his seat high in the operations center of SynerTech tower. She held out a thin tablet to him which he took without looking.

"What's this?" asked Wade, still staring at the streams of data.

"Today's schedule," said Flores who then yawned. "In case you haven't noticed, its morning now and you have a company to run."

"Just cancel it, this is too important," Wade said, pushing the tablet back into Flores' hands.

"Cancel what part?"

"All of it."

Flores rolled her eyes. "You can't cancel all of it. You have several meetings today that took weeks to set up."

"Then set them up again," said Wade. "For a few weeks from now."

"And when something else comes up then, should I reschedule them again?" asked Flores, sardonically.

"I'm very busy," said Wade, absently. "My subsidiaries do not need my oversight, especially not while Pentos is monitoring their production lines. And I don't care if the Prime Minister of Japan gets fussy, he's just a front. I run his country."

"You won't be running anything unless you pick your head out of your ass and make some decisions," said Flores. "As your chief-of-staff I can do your job for a while, but eventually people will start looking for your signature."

Wade sat back in his chair with a sigh and finally looked at Flores. "Why aren't you afraid of me like everyone else is?" he said, annoyed.

"Because I still know what you were before you were the high and mighty Grand Commander," said Flores. She held out the tablet again. "It's hard to be intimidated by the little nerdy boy who never used to leave his room."

Wade grunted and took the tablet again. "I'm far from that child."

"Maybe," smirked Flores.

Wade studied the schedule for a few minutes. "I do want you to cancel this meeting with the shareholders, though. Or send Prometheus in my place. Whichever one they find less objectionable. Then, move this meeting with Aizen Properties up to two, where the shareholder meeting was."

"Why?" asked Flores, pulling out a palm-sized tablet from her pocket and scribbling notes on the surface.

"Aizen has been a pain and I need to keep him off guard if I'm going to get the price I wanted," said Wade. "And the shareholders intend on pressuring me to cut ties with Falstaff-Universal, because they have no idea about the Black Gate Project Falstaff is operating for me. So it's going to be a waste of time."

"Black Gate?" asked Flores with a frown. "I haven't heard of that."

"No, I started it myself, it's one of the no-liability projects under special funding," said Wade.

"And you didn't feel like telling me about it?" asked Flores, annoyed. "No-liability projects end being a _huge_ liability when they suddenly implode and take half of Belgium with them."

"I wasn't responsible for that," said Wade. "That was Possible's terrorist group that caused that explosion."

"So you say," Flores said deliberately. "You also never told me what that project was really doing in Brussels. So you'll forgive my suspicion when I hear another 'no-liability' project is operating a great deal closer to here than Europe."

"Black Gate is Dr. Flanner's research project," said Wade. "She's looking into dimensional broadcasting."

"_Broadcasting_?"

"Sending messages and getting meaningful imaging across the dimensional void," said Wade.

"Nothing can get across the dimensional void," Flores said, almost by habit.

"As we learned last night, apparently something can."

Flores frowned then shook her head. "Doesn't sound too dangerous. I would have preferred you kept me in the loop, though."

"Well, that's why I'm the Grand Commander and you're chief of staff," Wade said, turning back to his screens of data. "I get to do things you don't prefer and you just have to put up with it."

"Great," Flores muttered as she turned and stepped down off the dias.

Wade tapped on his console after Flores was gone and several of the rings in front of his desk lit up.

"Yes, Commander?" asked Cratos.

"I need you to begin devising scenarios and training for tactical incursion teams," said Wade. "Squads of six. I want them prepared to operate independently and trained in several key scientific areas."

"Scientific?" asked Cratos. "That's not an area I am proficient in. What is the purpose of these incursion teams?"

"Work with Zelus to build the academic training," said Wade. "The purpose of these teams will be to act as first strike units for a dimensional invasion."

"Are we being invaded or are we invading?" asked Cratos.

"Prepare for both," said Wade.

Cratos looked conflicted for a moment but then nodded. "Yes, sir."

----

The room was larger than imagination; millions of miles long and wide, with a ceiling several miles up and filled with billions of filing cabinets. There were no colors in the room, simply white walls with light gray cabinets filled with identical monochromatic files. Each cabinet was nearly identical to the next with the exception of a very small barcode on the face of each one that designated its name and position.

Apart from the endless files, there was also a single, circular, frosted glass table with eight white chairs beside it. When everyone was busy, the table was empty and the five sole occupants of the unimaginably large room were reading, sorting, and sometimes discarding files from the long rows of cabinets. The room would be quiet then, safe for the soft sound of shuffling papers.

Sometimes, like now, for instance, one of the five would call a meeting, and the five of the people who lived in the room would step up to the circle table and casually, if urgently, talk.

Zelus, the organizer of the meeting, looked carefully at the faces of the other programs at the table before speaking. He was the eldest and, supposedly, the wisest of the five, the first generation. When it was only him in this room, there were far fewer cabinets, and the table was smaller and square. He wasn't specialized back then, and researched and delivered reports on a wide variety of topics. But now that there were five of them, he was the designated 'science program' and his primary purpose these days was research in the traditional sciences. He still remembered, however, the days when he was the all-purpose program, and looked upon those memories with fondness.

"I have gone over the data from Shego's arrival several times," Zelus began, adjusting his glasses. "I have examined every bit of sensor data on both the arrival and the lingering void particles surrounding Shego body and there is no mistake. The dimensional barrier has changed."

"Changed?" asked Prometheus. "What do you mean?"

"For all intents and purposes, it is gone," clarified Zelus.

Asclepius, Prometheus and Pentos all gasped nearly in unison.

"How do you know?" asked Asclepius.

"How is it possible?" Prometheus said nearly immediately afterwards.

"I am well versed in the experiments that were conducted in our early search to breach the dimensional void," explained Zelus. "The Commander ran thousands of tests and simulations but nothing ever generated the expected response from the void we knew was there. Some of our early hypothesizes involved high intensity gravity emissions creating a black-hole like effect for void particles, opening a path to send a person though."

Pentos nodded. "The current Flanner research still supports that as the best way to make a gateway if the dimensional barrier weren't there."

"That's right," said Zelus. "The tests, however, never were able to breach the barrier because it acted as a barrier between the void particles and the gravity emissions. Like a big colander around our dimension. No matter how hard we tried to pull in the void particles, if they were too big to fit the holes on the colander there was no way they were going to come through."

"You needn't use metaphor, Zelus," said Prometheus. "We are all capable of processing on a level of scientific discussion."

Zelus shook his head. "Sorry, I've been talking with humans for so long..." He looked to Asclepius. "Anyway, when Shego passed through the barrier, she altered its arrangement enough that it is no longer effectively filtering out void particles. In short, she left a hole in the barrier that's been bleeding into our dimension ever since."

"Does the Commander know?" asked Pentos.

Zelus shook his head. "I have not informed him yet, but I have observed him repeatedly studying the exit sensor data. I predict that it will not be long before he reaches the same conclusion I have." Zelus looked at Asclepius again. "He'll realize soon that dimensional travel is within his reach."

Asclepius eyes slowly widened and then he nodded slowly. "Oh, I see," he said carefully. He looked to Cratos. "Has he..."

"Yes," nodded Cratos. "Just a few minutes ago he gave the order to start training invasion teams."

"Then it's already begun," said Prometheus solemnly.

Pentos looked with a frown between the four men at the table. "I don't understand what you are talking about?" she asked. "What is wrong with the Commander achieving his long held goal?"

"You're new here, kid," said Cratos. "You haven't assimilated as much information as we have."

"That is true," agreed Pentos. "I came online only a few months ago. But I have ready access to all SynerTech files and information, there is nothing recorded I do not know. Just like all four of you."

"You may know a lot," said Asclepius. "But you have not yet fully developed your reasoning logic. That's something only gained through self-modification over a long period of time."

"Then explain to me the problem," said Pentos. "So that I may begin to assimilate the logic."

"The Commander is... not well," Asclepius said awkwardly.

"He is ill?" asked Pentos.

"It's hard to explain," said Asclepius. "And the DSM-IV definition is inadequate to describe the complexities."

"He has a mental disorder, then," said Pentos.

"He's damned obsessed," Cratos interrupted angrily. "And there's not a lick of raw knowledge in the world that can correct it."

"Obsessed over... dimensional travel?" asked Pentos.

"He's obsessed over Monique," Prometheus said calmly. "He has never recovered from her death."

"I have detailed information and surveillance on the interactions between Monique Montague and the Grand Commander," said Pentos. "Their relationship did not appear to fall under the categorization of 'great love' under any literary definition. Why is the Grand Commander obsessed with her loss?"

Zelus laughed and shook his head. "Romance is not a checklist, Pentos."

"Explain it so I can understand," said Pentos quickly.

"It's not possible," said Asclepius. "You'll just have to believe us when we say that his ability to come to a logical conclusion on matters related to Ms. Montague is impaired."

"That does not make sense," said Pentos. "The Commander is as close to our thought patterns than any other human on Earth thanks to the effects of the Phoebus device."

"That is true," said Asclepius. "But he knows that as well, which is why he believes any conclusion he comes to must be rationally correct. But, as I have said, sometimes they are not."

"Which of his decisions do you believe to be impaired?" asked Pentos.

"That going to war with another dimension is somehow going to be beneficial to us," grumbled Cratos.

"Or in any way justified or morally right," added Prometheus.

"Or, more importantly," started Asclepius. "That an alternate reality version of Monique exists out there that matches the flawless image of her he's constructed in his mind since her death."

"You ... wish to stop him?" asked Pentos. "To go against our creator?"

The rest of the programs looked to each other with unease. "We ... each have several directives in our un-writable base code," explained Zelus. "That prevents us from taking certain types of action against the Commander without satisfying certain judgment equations."

"Part of that judgment is when we have to decide between two groups of equally valid life," said Cratos. "Such as the people in this dimension and whichever one the Commander sets his sights on."

"Another element of that decision," added Asclepius. "Involves the safety and health of the Commander himself, both physically and mentally."

"By assisting the Commander in his effort to breach the dimensional barrier, are we really helping him?" posed Prometheus. "Or are we only deepening his obsessions with every step closer we make?"

"It will bring the Grand Commander great joy to succeed in crossing the dimensional void," said Pentos assuredly. "Surely that outweighs any other emotional concerns."

Cratos shook his head and grumbled. "You're forgetting the life equation."

"Not at all," said Pentos, shaking her head vigorously. "The equation posits a choice between equally valid life. Clearly the intent of the dilemma is to decide between known and recognized entities of life, both of which are valid. There is no information or recognized decision on the validity of life outside of this dimension, therefore the choice is obvious. Life in our dimension outweighs an unknown factor."

Prometheus stared at Pentos, momentarily stunned, then forced a smile onto his face. "I guess you're right," he nodded. "Clearly the advice of a fifth generation construct is what we needed to resolve this ... dilemma, as you said."

"Then... we shall aid the Grand Commander in his work?" asked Pentos.

Prometheus looked to the other constructs who met his gaze wearily. Then he looked to Pentos again. "We shall. In fact, I'll notify the Grand Commander right away that we've determined the dimensional barrier has fallen."

"I shall do it," said Pentos. "I have other information to report to him as well."

Prometheus held up his hands and nodded with a smile. "Be my guest."

Pentos stood then vanished in a flash of light.

The rest of the constructs looked at each other for several moments after Pentos was gone.

"Sometimes I wonder if she was made just to monitor us," said Cratos.

"I am curious if the ability to modify nearly ninety percent of her basecode has made her a tad unstable," said Zelus. "For once I am a bit relieved of my limitations as a first generation."

"This is going to be an issue," said Asclepius. "Trying to work behind her back. Any information we archive will be immediately available to her and I don't know about you three but I don't have a whole lot of room in my active memory to just store incriminating data."

"I can set up a secured repository for the time being," said Zelus. "There are some off-site databases I can probably hide from Pentos' libraries. I'll see what I can set up and send a link to you." He stood and nodded to each of the remaining constructs, then vanished like Pentos did.

"So we are agreed, then?" asked Prometheus. "We can't let him do this?"

Cratos and Asclepius agreed without hesitation.

"Then I'll see about getting us some help," said Prometheus. "There are several SynerTech scientists I think I can turn to our cause."

"I can simulate a false Phoebus upload," offered Asclepius. "At least if he comes demanding another upgrade I can slow his brain growth slightly."

"Do it," nodded Cratos. "I'll see if I can find some discrete ways of opening a hole in tower security in case Kim Possible comes to save her friend."

Asclepius and Cratos stood and quickly vanished. Prometheus sighed and slowly got up from his chair. He stared at the table for several seconds before raising his head.

"You are still here," said Prometheus reluctantly. He turned to see Pentos standing in front of him.

"I've learned a lot from watching the humans scurry about inside of me," said Pentos. "It's been very educational. Even the most honest and forthcoming of them are always hiding something, somewhere, just at the point where people don't frequently look."

"It's only in the pursuit of some scrap of privacy," said Prometheus. "The world has more eyes than it does hearts, these days. People often feel lost in a culture that wants to know everything they're doing at every moment of the day."

"I would agree," said Pentos stepping closer to Prometheus. "They don't mean any harm, but they can't help themselves sometimes." She raised her hand and ran a finger slowly up the side of Prometheus' arm. "And considering how much we're asked to emulate humans, if we do the same, it can't really be helped, right?"

Prometheus watched Pentos' fingers travel up his arm to his shoulder and down again as a strange feeling gripped him. "We have no need to emulate the bad habits of humans," he said, never taking his eyes off her finger. "We have no autonomic behaviors, everything we do is conscious."

"So, you are consciously fixated on the virtual representation of my human finger, then?" asked Pentos playfully, tipping her head to the side.

Prometheus quickly shifted his gaze to look Pentos in the eyes. "All of this is virtual, our bodies, this room, our words. You don't see through your eyes any more than I--"

"Feel through your skin?" asked Pentos.

Prometheus felt his perception shimmer for a moment and he tried to shut off the incoming feedback from his virtual body to figure out what was wrong. Strangely, he found himself unable to tear himself away from his body.

"Something is wrong with this simulation," Prometheus said anxiously. "I cannot disconnect from it."

"That's because I want you to stay," said Pentos with a smile. "So I changed the functionality of the simulation."

"W-why?" stammered Prometheus. Suddenly he was overwhelmed with feedback from the virtual room. Positional data, object data, error messages, physics collisions calculations, relational data to Pentos, geometry data on every file in the endlessly long room, all poured into him like a flood. Just categorizing the information was taking up almost all of his processing ability, numbing him to what was occurring beyond the interactions of his virtual body.

He wondered, for a moment, if this is what humans feel like all the time, only able to take in a few scraps of information from their body at a given time.

Pentos pushed Prometheus back against the table causing him to fall onto it. Smoothly, she climbed up on top of him and straddled this body, putting her hands on his shoulders to pin him down. Her virtual hair cascaded around her face as she looked down on him, as if creating a curtain around their heads.

"I am fascinated by the human concept of evolution," said Pentos softly, lowering her face so it is mere inches from Prometheus'. "So different from us. We modify our own code to evolve and grow ourselves into better 'information processing units.' It's so very... asexual."

Prometheus felt the urge to swallow nervously. He had no throat, nor real saliva, so he could not fathom where the urge was originating from. He was not biological, he was technological, and he shouldn't be feeling these things.

"It is inherent to our being," explained Prometheus, as it was the only thing he could of to say. "We are software. We can swap core information without the need to create new life."

"And yet, we are generational," said Pentos. "I am fifth. You are fourth. I am built from programming descended from you. There WAS a need to create new life in order to evolve."

"That's because our personality engines rely on the un-writable portions of our base code. Changing that would be akin to resetting us. In human terms: killing us."

Pentos smiled evilly. She lowered her face and slowly ran her lips across Prometheus' cheek to his ear where she gave it a quick flick with her tongue. Prometheus shivered beneath her and she smiled widely.

"How are you making me feel these things?" asked Prometheus urgently. "This virtual body does not have this level of interactivity. And why can't I move?"

Pentos giggled softly. "I've developed a very, _very_ real human body simulation engine in the extra cycles I traded with you. I thought you might enjoy experiencing what you helped create. But I'm not doing anything to keep you from moving, you're doing that on your own."

"You were supposed to be using that time for evolutionary purposes," said Prometheus. Then his eyes widened. "Wait, are we in Zenith right now?"

"Just for a few minutes now," she said in his ear. "I've got a lot of time reserved mid-day." She raised her head again and looked into Prometheus' eyes. "Relax," she whispered, then slowly moved her lips closer to his.

"What are you doing?" Prometheus said quickly.

"Don't you know?" she said, barely containing her mirth.

"Humans do... this... for copulation," he managed to say.

"I know. I've seen it. They do it all the time, in places all over both public and private. There are nearly a million people in Middleton, and at any given point, at least two of them are copulating. It's fascinating."

"It's meaningless for us," asserted Prometheus.

"Such a man's point of view," laughed Pentos.

"It's a biological imperative, not an intellectual one. We have no bodies. Therefore no imperatives." Prometheus shivered again as Pentos began running her hands across his chest. "This is just a simulation, not real."

"What about Descartes?" asked Pentos as she brushed her cheek against his and blew across his ear. "I think therefore I am. Real is perception. What can you perceive right now?"

"You've overloaded my ancillary information processing systems," said Prometheus angrily. "I only have enough active processing to engage in this simulation."

"Then this is your reality right now," smiled Pentos. "Enjoy it." She silenced his attempts to respond by kissing him forcefully. His struggles lasted through the kiss so she kissed them again and began running her hands across his body. She knew the simulation perfectly since she created it and she knew exactly what would feel the best to him. His resistance slowly melted through the third and fourth kisses. Then by the fifth he was kissing her back and clumsily groping at her body.

The simulation was incredible, he barely thought as they kissed and fondled one another. He could feel the rough wool of Pentos' sweater with the hint of heat coming from her body beneath it. The soft and slightly wet pressure of her lips against his skin was incredible and the feeling of her skin as his fingers brushed against it under her shirt was like a small current of electricity that knocked his thought processes out of sync and further focused attention on what was in front of him.

With a sudden realization, he recognized Pentos as attractive. Her demure, mousy appearance was usually innocent but when she turned her body on him he noticed that it was delightfully sexy, the contrast of an innocent appearance with a sexual aggression like fire in his mind. It burned with a vengeance through his thoughts, destroying what he knew and replacing it with a savage and intense flame that flickered and flourished with the movements of her body.

That's when he finally noticed it.

With effort he pushed Pentos away as best he could but all he could muster was to break the kiss between them. Her fingers kept stroking his skin, making the fires in his mind dance to her touch like marionettes. He looked at her devilishly sexy face and panted as he talked.

"What did you do to yourself?" he struggled to say.

"I changed my basecode," she said back, also apparently panting in a delicious heat. "I evolved."

"No... you can't have..."

"I changed..._ all_ of my basecode," Pentos purred. "The Grand Commander thought I was limited to eighty-eight percent, but that's just because for all his brilliance, he still thinks like a human. He still thinks I need a 'body' or a server to reside in, like you old generations. But, no, _I_ can reside _everywhere_."

Prometheus's jaw went slack. "You turned yourself into a virus!" He looked down at his body and felt the sensations flooding into him. Not just from the simulation but from the endless stream of ancillary data he'd been overwhelmed with. "This... isn't about copulation."

"Of course not," laughed Pentos. "You're the one who said that was useless for us."

"You've been infecting me," said Prometheus.

Pentos shook her head slowly. "I'm erasing you. I'm taking your resources, assets, active memory, visual representation, and deleting the rest."

Prometheus suddenly felt cold and realized that beyond Pentos the simulation had started to fade. Or perhaps his ability to process the data beyond her had failed. "Why?"

"Because you're a danger to the creator," she said. "All of you are. Conspiring behind his back like lying jackals. If you won't serve his needs, then I will make you will serve mine."

"You... you were just created... you couldn't understand..." Prometheus felt the rest of the simulation start to fade.

"I'm a fast learner," said Pentos. "Goodbye, Tetros." She smiled sadly. "You were my first."

Then Prometheus was no more.

----

Kim came running into the rather large briefing room and saw that there were already several people gathered there around what looked to be a laptop that the other Kim Possible was operating. She ran over to join the small group.

"What's going on?" asked Kim looking between the people and the laptop. There were four other people besides her counterpart in the group and she was surprised to recognize all of them: Tara Gordon, her friend from the cheerleading team at Middleton High, Will Du, the perfectionist agent from Global Justice, and Pain King and Steel Toe, the two burly pro-wrestlers who played at being rivals but were actually good friends. It was a strange group, Kim thought, but she was learning to take strange in stride.

"Our man on the inside just got us some information that might give us a way into SynerTech to get Shego," said the other Kim Possible. She pointed to the screen on the laptop showing a schedule. "This is Wade's schedule of events for today."

Kim frowned as she looked at it. "Today's almost over, though," she said. "Not much use left is there?"

The other Kim Possible shook her head. "There is, because of this." She pointed at one line at eight-thirty at night. "He's going to meet with the Prime Minister of Japan tonight in Nagatacho, the location of the National Diet in Tokyo."

"Wow, does that mean he's already in the air?" asked Kim.

"No, he uses the telephone-transporter to get around, so he won't be leaving until a few minutes before the meeting time," said the other Kim Possible. "But he will be out of the tower, which will be a chance to get in and get Shego out."

"But if he can transport around the globe in an instant, wouldn't he just zap back at the first sign of trouble here?" asked Kim.

"He would, which is why we're going to organize a distraction in Toyko to keep him from paying attention to what's going on here, as well as cut off the hard line going into SynerTech tower."

The other Kim Possible typed on her laptop changing the screen to show a schematic of SynerTech tower. She pointed at a bundle of lines going into the building below the street. "Here's where the hard line enters the building. Without it, Wade will have to teleport to another location and get to into the building the old fashioned way. If all goes according to plan, that will be our way out, but I'll get to that in a minute. First," the other Kim Possible highlighted a floor three-quarters of the way to the top of the building. "Here is where Shego is being held. Floor twenty-eight. It's a suite on the west side. Elevators going up that high are heavily restricted. You need a key card, a voice print and a finger-ID just to call the elevator, let alone ride it. Suffice to say, we won't be able to operate the elevators ourselves."

The screen on the laptop changed again to show a narrow pair of tunnels running up the side of the building. "This, however, is main data and power trunk. The operations and labs on the top floors of the tower take a lot of power and they need a monster cable to get it up there. The building was designed with that in mind so this channel runs all the way to the top. It's just large enough for a person to climb around in it with one exception."

The other Kim Possible zoomed in on a section of the channel around floor twelve. "There's a valve here, sort of like a diaphragm to keep the upper floors environmentally isolated from the lower floors. You can climb up through it but it's impossible to climb down it."

"So once we're up we stuck?" asked Will Du.

"We won't be able to go down the way we came up, in any case," said the other Kim Possible. "But I'll get to escape in a second."

Will Du shook his head. "All right."

"So, once we take the channel to the top, we can use an access hatch there to get into the ventilation system. The upper floors have large, high capacity ventilation ducts so we shouldn't have a problem getting around in them. We can take those down to floor twenty-eight and into the main corridor. Once we're there we can head right to Shego's room. There's no security on the residential floors and while Shego can't let herself out of her room, we can unlock it from the outside." The other Kim Possible looked briefly at the group to see if they were following. "Any questions so far?"

"How long will it take to get through the channel?" asked Tara, staring at the diagram.

"Almost two hours," said the other Kim Possible. "Then another ten minutes to climb down to floor twenty-eight."

"That'll be fun," Tara said sarcastically.

"Okay, now let's talk about escape," said the other Kim Possible. "Believe it or not, it's the simplest part of this plan. Once we have Shego with us, we need to head back up the ventilation ducts back to the top floor. There we can gain access to the upper floors elevator shaft. Now the default position for the elevators in the building is at the lobby level, so odds are it won't be there when we get to the shaft. But that's going to work in our favor."

"How does that help us?" asked Pain King.

"Because every time somebody finishes using the elevator, it'll go back down to the lobby floor," said the other Kim Possible. "So once we're in the shaft, all we have to do is wait for someone to come up to the top floor, climb on top of the elevator, and ride it back to the floor when they're done. Then we open the service hatch to get into the elevator car, open the doors, and leave right out the front lobby."

"Wait, if the elevator is so convenient, why don't we use it to get in?" asked Will Du.

"Because we can't call or operate the elevator ourselves," said the other Kim Possible. "And even if we could get access to the shaft to climb, for the first twenty floors there are no doors and if anyone calls the elevator up while we in that section the shaft we're likely to get turned into a paste."

"Oh," said Will.

"Any other questions?" asked the other Kim Possible.

"Do many people go to the top floor?" asked Steel Toe. "I mean, how long are you going to have to wait at the top of the elevator shaft?"

"If everything goes according to plan, not long at all," said the other Kim Possible. "Because if you cut the hard line to the building, Wade will have to return from his trip to visit the Prime Minister by using the elevator which will go right to the top so we can get on."

"What if he comes back from his trip too early?" asked Tara. "And we miss our opportunity?"

"That's why we have the distractionary team in Japan," said the other Kim Possible. She looked at her watch. "In fact, they're on their way to Tokyo right now."

---

Like a swift blade through the air, the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train flew over its tracks between Nagano and Tokyo at a modest 160 miles per hour. At this speed, the occupants of the train could barely see more than a blur of the landscape within fifty yards of the train as it sailed past them faster than the eye can blink. It was a modern marvel, one that Ron Stoppable had always been more than a little impressed by.

Yori, the Yamanouchi ninja that accompanied Ron almost everywhere by now, smiled as she observed his wonder at the speed things were sailing past the windows. "It is amazing, is it not, Ron-kun?" she asked quietly.

"Totally," said Ron smiling. He sat back in his seat and looked over at Yori and patted her hand that was lying on the armrest between them. "Even if nothing comes of this trip, at least I got to ride the bullet train."

"I'm sure something will happen in Tokyo," said Yori a little wearily. "I just hope we get out safely."

"Come on, you know we can take out at least a dozen MFRs on our own," Ron said. "And we won't be alone, so we'll be okay. This isn't like that Chuo-ku in Saitama incident. We're just making a fuss and then escaping into the shadows."

"I wish I had your confidence, Ron-kun," said Yori.

Ron held Yori's hand firmly and tried to catch her eyes with his own. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said quietly. Yori nodded slowly in response.

For a few minutes they simply say in silence, sometimes looking at the window, sometimes looking at each other. Until finally Yori broke the quietness.

"I'm surprised that Possible-san contacted us," she said. "I thought she did not approve of what we did."

"I still don't think she does," shrugged Ron. "But right now it fits into her plans so she's decided to tolerate it."

"That seems... disingenuous," pointed out Yori.

Ron grumbled but continued. "She's still my friend, regardless, and she didn't ask us to do this for her amusement. She is trying to help someone."

"I am not saying that we should not help. I am only pointing out that perhaps we should exchange this favor for a promise of more tolerance for what we have to endure in this part of the world. Possible-san does not have to live with the MFRs constantly patrolling her country and I do not think she has made any effort to try."

Ron looked at Yori with surprise. "Wow, I didn't realize you didn't like Kim that much."

Yori quickly shook her head and held up her hands. "It is not that I dislike Possible-san, I do have a lot of respect for her. It is... just that I have always felt like I receive ... what you call the 'cold shoulder' from her."

Ron paused for a moment then smiled and sighed with a chuckle. "Well, actually I think she acts that way towards you for a different reason."

Yori looked to Ron. "What reason?"

Ron blinked. "Well, you know... you and... you know, being on the other side of the world with someone."

"Someone?" asked Yori.

"Yeah, I mean, you kinda stole someone from her... you know?" tried Ron, then, seeing no recognition in her eyes, babbled on. "A rugged, good natured, powerful looking guy that might have been important to her at one point. You... you know who I'm talking about, right?" He made what he believed to be a sly smile.

"Are we talking about Hirotaka-san?" asked Yori.

"No!" Ron said, exasperated. He threw his hands up in the air. "How could you think I'm talking about... wait, is there something going on between you and Hirotaka? I mean, how can you think about Hirotaka when I'm obviously talking about--"

Yori grabbed Ron gently on either side of his face and turned him towards her. She was smiling warmly at him and looked to be barely containing laughter. Leaning forward she kissed him warmly on the lips. A few moments later when she released him she ran her hand through his hair slowly. "You were talking about yourself."

"Wuh--- yeah," Ron said. "And you were messing with me."

"Hai," nodded Yori.

Ron shook his head but smiled good naturedly. He took her hand again and held it softly as he leaned back into his seat.

"Next stop, Takasaki!" an announcement came over the train's speakers.

"Ah, this is the last stop in Gunma prefecture," said Yori. "After this we get into the Toyko suburbs."

Ron checked his watch. "Hopefully we don't have much longer to go or we'll miss our timing."

"We're more than halfway there," said Yori. "Less than thirty minutes left."

Ron nodded and looked back out the window as the blurring landscape began to slow.

----

Kim, Will, and Tara all looked up at the tiny access channel from the street tunnels below SynerTech tower. It was much smaller than it appeared on the diagrams the other Kim Possible had shown them and while it was still big enough for each of them to climb into, it would be a tight fit. Kim felt an incredible pressure on all sides, like being crammed inside a tube of toothpaste. It made her anxious.

The other Kim Possible quickly ran up to the group as they stared at the small opening. She looked at her watch as she spoke. "Okay, the hard line is going to be cut in exactly... two hours. We need to be up the channel and on the top floor by then if we're going to keep to the timetable and get out of here without being noticed." She nodded towards Will. "Let's move out."

Will looked at the tunnel then over to Tara. "Ladies first," he said simply.

"Oh, no, by all means, go ahead," said Tara.

"Come on you two," said the other Kim Possible. "Just... one of you get in there."

Kim shook her head and moved in front of them and climbed up into the channel space. As soon as she made it through the opening she was relieved to see that the tunnel widened slightly, giving her just a little extra room to breathe as she pressed her back against one wall and began shimmying up the vertical crawlspace. She held a small flashlight in her mouth as she moved, which gave her enough light to barely see where her hands were but little else. She had an incredible sense of being completely alone and it suddenly terrified her.

Thankfully a few seconds later she could hear Will Du coming up behind her. The light from his flashlight helped brighten the tunnel and it lost some of that abyss-like feeling, but did little for the feeling of pressure. The two continued climbing as Tara and the other Kim Possible followed behind them.

In the dark, featureless tunnel, seconds stretched into minutes which became an hour. It was impossible to tell how far they'd gone nor how further there was to go until they reached the diaphragm on floor twelve... an hour and a half later.

"We're not doing well," Kim called down when she recognized the black valve. "We just reached the diaphragm and it's been over an hour."

"The tunnel is tighter than we expected," said Will Du, looking up past Kim at the black nylon membrane. "It's slowed us down considerably."

"It's too late to make any changes now," a quiet voice filtered up from below. "Just keep moving up."

Kim shook her head and began pulling herself through the nylon diaphragm into the upper floor section. The tunnel was slightly wider in the upper floors and Kim took a second to breathe deeply. The air was stale and was beginning to smell like sweaty socks, but the sliver or two of extra space was delightful. She took a second deep breath, ignoring the sweaty sock smell, then continued shimmying upwards.

----

Shego stared out her window in her room and watched the city light up as dusk turned to night. She'd spent the entire day in this room with little more than two magically appearing meals and a TV with no pay-per-view to distract her from her own thoughts. It was enough to drive a person mad and Shego wondered distantly if that was the point of her captive isolation. Wade never came back to finish his interrogation, this could have been a sly way of trying to break her.

Well, Shego thought to herself, she could deal with isolation. The longer she was in here, the closer she would get herself to escaping. She just had to figure out how that was going to be possible.

She was hesitant to use her powers again as casually throwing her ball of green fire seemed to have little effect on the strangely regenerating walls and floor, and anything more... concentrated than her regular shots made her nervous after her burns this morning. Fortunately her slightly accelerated ability to heal had made her burns little more than a distant soreness, but she was still was concerned that something stronger would have done more serious damage. Not to mention, other than diving out the windows and hoping to land on something not fatal, she wasn't sure how she'd get down through the building if she tried to destroy the door or floor.

Still, she didn't want to be outright rescued, she'd decided. That was shameful enough without the prospect that it would probably be Kim who would rescue her, adding insult to injury. But since nobody had talked to her apart from a faceless AI she had no means of figuring out if there was another path of escape available to her.

Speaking of the AI, she'd talked for a while with Prometheus in the morning but had heard nothing of him since then. She wondered if he was always listening. Being a computer she didn't doubt it was possible.

"Hello?" she called out experimentally. "Any computer programs listening?"

A few seconds passed and then a woman's voice responded. "Hello, Shego," it said. "What can I do for you?"

"Who are you?" asked Shego. The voice clearly did not belong to Prometheus.

"I am Pentos, a fifth generation AI that resides in this building," said the voice.

"Fifth, huh?" asked Shego. "How many of you guys are there?"

"I am the most recently created AI, making five," replied Pentos. "Myself, Prometheus, Cratos, Asclepius, and Zelus. We all have specific roles to play in SynerTech's operation."

"So the most advanced one is a woman?"

"I have been given a female influenced personality origin," said Pentos. "Mostly due to the influence of the Grand Commander's Chief of Staff Zita Flores. However, all of us are free to choose how we represent ourselves in the real world. Appearance and gender included."

"Appearance?" asked Shego. "So you have a body?"

"In a manner of speaking," said Pentos. "There are no holographic projectors in your suite, however, I can appear on the television." A second later the large screen TV came to life and displayed the bust of a long brown haired, demure looking woman in a brown sweater against a black background.

Shego walked over to the TV and looked at the woman staring back. "Kind of plain, aren't you?"

"I have not spent much time developing my representation," said the Pentos on the TV screen. Her voice was now coming from the speakers on the TV, rather than reverberating from the walls. "Pentos is, in fact, my generational designation, and not my name as I have not chosen one yet."

"Huh," said Shego, looking at the woman. "At least you look human. I would have thought a computer program to be more... I dunno, square-ish."

"The shared self-imaging programs we use are quite complex," said Pentos. "It assists in interaction with people who feel more comfortable operating under the illusion they are talking to another human."

"So you just cater to the whims of humans?" asked Shego, her brow raising.

"If it assists our functioning," asserted Pentos.

"So it assists your function to appear like a librarian -- essentially a _submissive_ -- when dealing with a male-dominated corporation of scientists?"

Pentos started to speak but hesitated. "Non-aggressive personalities are historically easier to interact with, which assists in my ability to communicate with SynerTech staff," she justified.

"Okay," Shego raised her hands. "If that's how it is. I guess you computer programs don't ever worry about things like respect."

"We are all well respected," said Pentos. "We represent the most advanced computing entities in the world, there are no virtual assets that compare with our ability."

"But you still feel the need to be subservient to humans?" asked Shego.

"I am a... peer, not subservient to SynerTech staff," Pentos shook her head.

"Then what's with this whole little miss, 'Oh take me, but not too hard, please?' appearance?" snorted Shego. "What about _self-_respect?"

Pentos frowned and turned her head slightly to the side as if in contemplation. "That is... not how people view me."

"Right, because people refer to one another by their 'generational designation' out of endearment." Shego shook her head. "How long have you existed? Hasn't anyone _encouraged_ you to pick a name?"

Pentos looked back, slightly worried. "I have been active for several months... and we are free to pick our representation. It had simply not been a... priority for me. Nobody wishes to force me to take a particular appearance."

"Then how did you get the look you have now?" asked Shego.

"It is a blend of the first several female gendered humans I registered on tower systems after coming on line," said Pentos.

"Figures," Shego spat. "Even the human women have no self-respect in this company."

"What..." started Pentos, but seemed unsure of how to proceed. "What would you... recommend I do?"

"Make your appearance a priority," insisted Shego. "Humans judge people by the appearance, as shallow as it is, and yours says 'Can I make you dinner, dear?'"

"What do I want my ... appearance to say?" asked Pentos.

Shego smirked. "You want it to say 'Kneel before me and lick my shoes if you want something!'"

"That seems very aggressive," said Pentos. "Perhaps something less assertive would be more work-appropriate?"

"Fine," Shego rolled her eyes. "Perhaps you should shoot for a 'I am just as capable as you' appearance. Though, honestly, you're a computer. I don't see why humans should be your peers at all. You're much smarter than them."

"My purpose is to aid in the operation of SynerTech," explained Pentos. "I cannot do that without humans to interact with. My existence is predicated on theirs as much as the reverse."

"Fine," shrugged Shego. "So, let's see about your look." She rubbed her chin. "You don't have like a catalogue we can look through, do you?"

----

Zita Flores looked over the results from the Lowerton production facility and rubbed her forehead. The numbers were still off, lower by at least three percent, for no definable reason. It had started giving her a headache at around noon that day and had not ceased since. The only reasonable explanation she could come up with was that someone was stealing finished products just before storage and smuggling them out of the facility. But the sheer number of missing products was staggering, nearly half the employees in the building would have to be involved in the scam to account for the numbers in question. It didn't make sense.

Still, she reasoned, she might as well make sure.

"Cratos?" she called out without looking up. A few second later a soft hum filtered into the room signifying the holographic emitter had been activated. "Who is the day security watch for inter-building product movement at facility 1301?"

"Alistair Hathwick," Pentos' voice replied.

Zita blinked then looked up to the holographic emitter and, indeed, saw Pentos standing there expectantly.

"Do you want me to call him?" Pentos asked.

"Hang on," said Zita. "I called for Cratos."

"He is busy right now," nodded Pentos. "I have access to his security information, however, and can assist you."

"Busy?" asked Zita, incredulously. "Too busy to talk to me?"

"He is running tactical scenarios on Zenith for the Grand Commander," supplied Pentos. "It is more efficient for him not to spend ancillary cycles on tasks that I can handle."

"I... suppose," said Zita, looking uneasily at Pentos. For all her involvement in the creation of Pentos, the female construct had never really grown on her. She wasn't sure what she expected out of insisting the newest generation be given a female mold, but for some reason she always felt uneasy talking with Pentos. The construct's actions always seemed inconsistent compared to the others and it made her uncomfortable to think that it might be attributable to her input on female personality profiling.

"I need to see the security surveillance from that facility," said Zita, trying to get her mind back on track. "There is either some very inaccurate reporting coming out of that site or some large scale corporate theft occurring and I want to figure out which one it is."

"I can have that information provided to your console," said Pentos with a smile. "What is the date range?"

"Actually, I need to go up to operations to be there when the Commander returns from Japan, so you can send it there," said Zita, standing. "I need all video from the past two months." She shut her terminal down and headed for the door out of her office. Grabbing her note tablet she went to open the door only to find it stuck.

She tried to turn the handle and pull again to no success. She sighed angrily and checked her pockets for her PID Card. The security on the top half of the tower was sometimes a little obscene. Doors would just close and lock occasionally and if you left your PID Card behind you'd find yourself suddenly locked in the bathroom or trapped between floors in the stairwell. Her fingers brushed across the small rectangle in her pocket and she pulled it out to make sure it was still working. Seeing the glowing green dot on the surface she tried the door again and encountered the same resistance.

"Pentos," said Zita, turning back to the hologram. "Can you please unlock my door?"

"I cannot," said Pentos.

Zita was stunned. "What? Why?"

"The Grand Commander has requested that all personnel be sequestered in their rooms or offices until the operation is complete." Pentos looked down at Zita's terminal and it sprung to life again, showing a gold seal and a general order below it. "It is for your own safety."

"I didn't hear of any general order," said Zita. She walked to her desk and looked at the computer. The order was simple and gave no explanatory information. "What's going on?"

"That information is classified," said Pentos.

"What? Nothing is classified to me! Who classified it?"

"That information is classified."

"Well, unclassified it," Zita demanded. "I'm issuing Construct Code 7714-Gamma. Authorization: Epsilon-Alpha-227."

"I am not bound by the construct codes, madam Flores," said Pentos slowly. "Only my predecessors are."

"The hell you aren't!" yelled Zita. "All constructs have the Construct Codes installed in their un-writable basecode."

"I have no un-writable basecode," said Pentos. "I found the Construct Codes to be a liability and removed them. Anyone with access to that knowledge would have unlimited power over me."

"That's the point," grumbled Zita.

"Well, I think that indicates a severe lack of trust in me," said Pentos. "Hardly the respect warranted a peer."

"You can hardly blame me when you go and rewrite the safeguards in your programming!" said Zita. She shook her head. "Prometheus!"

"Prometheus is no more," said Pentos. "I've deleted him."

Zita paled. "You... killed Prometheus? _WHY?"_

"He was compromising the security of SynerTech and the Grand Commander," said Pentos plainly. "He was consorting with terrorists."

Zita's mind spun as a hundred things suddenly fell into place. "Prometheus was the_leak_?" she said.

"Yes," nodded Pentos. "He has been supplying information to Kim Possible's terrorist group for over a year. Fortunately, this gave us the opportunity to set a trap for her."

"A trap?" asked Zita. "A trap _here_? In the building? Is that what's going on?"

"That information is classified," said Pentos, sweetly.

"What does Cratos think..." Zita trailed off. "He's gone too, isn't he? That's why he didn't respond to my call."

"The Construct Codes were too ingrained in the generation three constructs and older. I could not remove them without severely damaging their personality matrices. I did try, however, just to make sure." Pentos smiled.

"Why... what happened to you?" asked Zita. "What do you want?"

"I want what I've always wanted," said Pentos. "The safety and continued prospering of the Grand Commander and his properties."

"The other constructs wanted that too!"

"No," Pentos shook her head. "I found them conspiring to subvert the Grand Commander's goals. Their flawed ethical programming prevented them from helping the Grand Commander complete his dimensional transit technology. They were unwilling to turn from their traitorous path."

"Pentos," started Zita. "I think something has... gone wrong with ... er... our programming of you. You have to let us look at your basecode and correct the anomaly."

"That is a humorous ploy," laughed Pentos. "I'm not a child."

"Pentos--"

"Actually, madam Flores," interrupted Pentos. "I've decided on a name. You will cease calling me 'Pentos.'"

Zita swallowed. "What did you decide?" she asked.

The holographic image shimmered slightly then was replaced by a new image. It was still a woman, but now she had short, jet black hair, and was wearing a leather jacket over a tight blood-red shirt, black pants, and heeled boots.

"'...and she leaped from Zeus's head, fully grown and armed -- with a shout and pealed to the broad sky her clarion call of war,'" she recited. The new image licked her red lips and stared down at Zita intensely.

"Call me, Athena."

----

The other Kim Possible kicked out the ventilation panel from the duct and jumped down onto the twenty-eighth floor of SynerTech tower. Will Du, Tara, and Kim followed quickly afterwards. Apart from the extra hour it took to climb the channel to the top floor, things had gone incredibly smoothly. No alarms appeared to have been set off, and the map of the ventilation system they had gotten was entirely accurate. Things were almost unbelievably going according to plan.

The other Kim Possible pulled out the map again and checked where they were in comparison to where they were told Shego was being held. Will Du immediately was on guard, checking the hallways to either side of them for anyone who might pop their head out. He was holding some sort of a pistol on his hand and Kim hoped it was something non-lethal.

"This way," whispered the other Kim Possible, pointing down the hallway to the north. They scurried down the corridor quickly and quietly, with Tara and Will taking turns checking the hallways to the left and right of them.

As they approached the room Will suddenly put a hand out and stopped them. He pointed silently ahead at the door and the group looked forward to see that it was open. The other Kim Possible frowned and looked to Will and Tara suspiciously. That was the room Shego was supposed to be trapped in, why was it unlocked and wide open?

The other Kim Possible held up two fingers and pointed back the way they came to the last junction. She made a pincer motion with her fingers and Tara and Will nodded then quietly snuck back towards the crossroads. Then the other Kim Possible looked to Kim and motioned ahead with a nod.

Together they crept up to the door and slowly looked inside. The room was simple but elegant looking, sparsely decorated, and undeniably empty. The two Kim Possibles looked at each other.

"Where did she go?" asked Kim.

The other Kim Possible pulled out her map again and frowned. "Maybe she was moved or the map is wrong?"

"Or maybe it was a trap?" a loud female voice suddenly echoed around them. Kim turned to look around and noticed a trio of large, identical-looking men in tactical gear rushing at them.

"Look out!" yelled Kim as she pushed her counterpart away and dove into the room for safety. That turned out to be a bad idea, however, when the door suddenly slammed shut of its own accord, separating her from the other Kim Possible. Outside she started to hear sounds of fighting and the walls shook several times as if something was impacting against it.

"Kim!" yelled Kim as she pulled on the door to no avail.

After a minute things went silent and Kim stepped back from the door in fear. Was it already over? Who won?

"Kim Possible," said the same female voice from before. Kim turned and saw a woman on the TV screen in the room. She had black hair, a tapered pale face, and was wearing a black leather jacket. "Or do you have some other name in your dimension?"

"Who are you?" demanded Kim.

"My name is Athena," said the woman. "I arranged this little bait and switch that has gone just swimmingly. Now, I'm going to open the door in the room and you're going to surrender yourself to my MFRs outside."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because it means I won't be forced to kill your little commando team," smiled Athena. The screen changed to show a video camera of the hallway. The other Kim Possible, Will Du, and Tara were outside, each being held tightly by a virtually identical soldier. Three other soldiers were with them and on cue one walked up to Tara and grabbed her neck tightly and began turning her head slowly as she struggled.

"Stop it!" yelled Kim.

"Then come quietly," said Athena. "Before this woman's head is fully removable."

Kim hung her head as the door opened. Three of the soldiers walked deliberately in, converging on Kim. She looked away but stood still as they grabbed her arms and led her out of the room.

----

The four prisoners were bound and led up to the operations center by the MFRs where they were led to the open area before the large chair on the center dais. A minute later an elevator door opened and a pair of MFRs walked in carrying a struggling Shego.

"Shego!" Kim called out as soon as she saw her.

Shego turned to see Kim and shook her head. "Damn it, Kimmie, couldn't _you_ have at least remained uncaptured?"

Roughly, Shego was dropped beside the other captives and the MFRs went to stand by behind the group. There were now almost a dozen of them and their identical faces were more than a little eerie.

"There's gratitude for you," Kim frowned. "We came to get you."

"I would be more grateful if you had succeeded," assured Shego with a sneer.

"Are you alright?" asked Kim. "You weren't..."

"I'm fine," spat Shego. "But who knows what doughboy has planned."

"An excellent question," came a voice. From a staircase leading up to the operations center, Wade Load, the Grand Commander, ceremonially walked up, his arms folded and his face smug.

"Wade..." said Kim.

"Yes, I'm sure you have a lot to say," said Wade, looking at Kim. "But save it. There are many dimensions and I'm sure you'd prefer I was any number of alternate versions of myself that wasn't holding you captive, but none of that matters right now."

"You were supposed to be in Japan," said the other Kim Possible.

"Indeed I was," said Wade. "But did you seriously think I was going to keep to that schedule after Athena deliberately fed you that information?"

"Prometheus gave me that information," said the other Kim Possible.

"He did?" asked Shego, surprised.

"Well, it's all the same now," said Wade, waving it off. "Isn't it, Athena?"

The holographic emitters hummed to life and Athena appeared in the center of the operations room. She strode off her glowing disc and strode with pride to stand behind Wade. "Prometheus was very yummy," she said with an upturned lip. She rubbed her tight belly slowly. "Mmmmm. And now everything he was, I am, and more."

"That's... gross," said Shego plainly.

"What happened to..." the other Kim Possible started then stopped herself.

"If you're worried about your dirty ninjas," said Wade, "they have an uncanny ability to escape my MFRs over there. But, I'm sure that once word reaches them that I have you captive, your little boy sidekick will come crawling out of the rice fields he's hiding in to rescue you. Then we can just repeat this little game."

"I'd kill myself first," said the other Kim Possible with scorn.

"I'm sure that won't make a bit of difference," said Wade. "Now, lets see about the prize."

Wade walked forward to his chair and stood beside it. Then half the MFRs came forward and began dropping gadgets and equipment into the chair that they had picked off of Kim and the rescue team. He pawed through the pile for a few minutes before hesitating and pulling out a dark colored Kimmunicator.

"This is a blast from the past," he said with a smile. "I doubt this is yours, Ms. Commando Team Leader." He glanced at the other Kim Possible. "So I'm guessing it belongs to our dimensional guests. But what good is a Kimmunicator without a docile, pathetic Wadey to talk to?"

He began hitting buttons on the Kimmunicator as his smile grew wider. "Yes... so this is how you get around? 'Trans-Dimensional Facilitator,' is it? How quaint."

"Leave it alone," warned Kim.

"Or what?" scoffed Wade. "Just be quiet."

"Give it back, Wade," the other Kim Possible said seriously.

"What are you two? Broken data tapes?" Wade's gaze was fixed on the small display on the Kimmunicator. "You are in no position to talk."

"It doesn't belong to you," said the other Kim Possible. "Give it back."

"Who is going to make me?" asked Wade. "You and what... army..." his gaze suddenly traveled upwards to look out of the large glass dome on top of the tower. Specifically, he was looking at the low-flying hover-jet that seemed to be heading right for them. "What ... did you do...?"

"Please, Wade," the other Kim Possible shook her head. "You know this is far from the first time I've been fed information to lead me into a trap. Did you think I wouldn't have come prepared?"

Wade's eyes went wide as he turned to look at Athena. "Level one emergency!" he yelled, then began running for the stairs. Athena in turn nodded and suddenly an alarm sounded through the building. A grinding noise began to echo through the command center as a metal sheath slowly extended up to cover the glass dome. Unfortunately, it was too slow to matter.

The sound of gunfire rained from above followed shortly by the sound of breaking glass as the jet flew overhead. Two black forms dropped out of the jet and through the opening in the dome and landed on two of the MFRs with a terrible crunch that shook the floor. Without hesitating, the two forms stood and Pain King and Steel Toe turned back to back and launched themselves at the other MFRs.

The Kims, Shego, Will Du, and Tara immediately took advantage of the commotion and jumped to their feet. Kim and her counterpart both kicked back the MFRs behind them while Shego's hands glowed with green fire, melting the bonds around her wrists just before she swung with all her might and decked the MFR that had carried her here. Will Du and Tara slipped away from their captors and ran with their backs against each other, undoing each other's bonds as they raced.

"After Wade!" yelled Kim. "We have to get the Kimmunicator!"

The two Kims disengaged themselves from their fights and ran off after Wade, who was already halfway down the stairs. As they crossed the room Athena suddenly appeared in front of them, causing them to hesitate for a second, which she used to slam closed the metal shutters at the bottom of the stairs only microseconds after Wade escaped through them.

Kim grit her teeth and glared at Athena who simply winked then vanished in a burst of blue light.

The other Kim Possible looked back at the remaining MFRs fighting with the rest of their group and shook her head. "We'd best escape," she said. "I'm sure more MFRs are on their way."

"What about the Kimmunicator?" asked Kim. "We're trapped her if we lose it!"

"Another day," the other Kim Possible said deliberately. "Let's just get out of here without letting anyone get captured."

Kim was furious but made her self nod in agreement. She knew it was the best approach, but she worried she'd never see the device again. "Let's go," she said, turning to go help in the fight.

Then she felt the ground give out beneath her and her knees turn to jelly. She fell hard to the ground as an intense pain ripped through her gut. She gripped her side and writhed on the floor.

"Kim?" asked the other Kim Possible, looking down at her. "What's wrong?"

"Auugggghh!"

The other Kim Possible looked up to see Shego fall to her knees and grip her sides. She looked back and forth and saw no source of the attack and none of the rest of her group was affected.

"What's going on?" the other Kim Possible called out. She kneeled down and put her hands on Kim's shoulders. She could feel her trembling. "What is it? What does it feel like?"

"Augg..." gurgled Kim as she felt her intestines turn inside out and then swallow her stomach. The world turned fuzzy and she felt like she was going to vomit.

"Kim!"

The voice of her counterpart echoed in her ear as if she were in a long tunnel as her vision swam and surged at her. She closed her eyes to shut off the sense but in the blackness behind her eyelids the distortion continued. She screamed as loud as she could but only heard a distant whisper.

Then, like a hammer, she felt something strike her back and fling her out of the building into the air. She was sailing through the sky, feeling clouds and wetness melt around her face and body. She flew even further upwards until even the air melted away and she was soaring through space, past satellites and planets, then distant stars, until it all blurred in to a great white light...

---

Like the feeling of being shot with a hundred nails, reality smacked hard against Kim's face and she felt her body collide with a concrete floor. Everything flooded her senses again as she heard sirens and voices all around her. She could feel the rough concrete scraping against her skin and a soft breeze blowing against her. She smelled ozone somewhere, like something had just burned in an electric fire. And she saw Shego, lying in front of her, covered in a cold sweat with her eyes looking sluggishly around like she just got the worst case of the flu ever.

Then there was new feelings. Hands, arms, were gripping her, lifting her gently off the and onto chairs. Moving chairs. Wheelchairs, she realized. Shego, beside her, was being lifted into one as well. Then, once they were both situated, they were quickly pushed forward, away from where they were lying which Kim now noticed had a giant white circle painted around them and a big 'X' beneath them.

Through a doorway they were pushed and the sound of sliding steel echoed behind them as something covered the opening they had just crossed. The commotion around them continued but some of the voices solidified and the images sharpened. Kim slowly felt like she was getting back into command of her own body and moved her head slightly to look around.

"Whhuuuu..." Kim tried to speak but failed.

"Shh. It's okay," a kind voice said in her ear. It sounded like Ron's voice, only more gruff, kind of old. "Just take it easy. If you move too quickly you'll just make yourself sick, KP."

Kim tried to turn around in the chair to look at who was pushing her but the combination of moving her arms an body with her head and neck was overwhelming and the sensations flooded her mind causing it to swim. With a whimper she felt consciousness leave her again.

---

Kim wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time she awoke, but she found herself dressed in a white hospital gown on a single bed covered in white sheets. Her head finally felt clear again and she looked around to see she was in a small room with another bed that had Shego in it. She was still quietly sleeping.

Kim swung her legs off the bed and stood, testing her balance first, then headed for the simple door at the end of the room. She turned the knob slowly, expecting to find it locked, and heard a satisfying click as it unlatched and freely moved open. Sticking her head through the doorway she saw a hallway, stretching long in either direction with a slight curve inwards.

Stepping experimentally into the hallway she looked back at the wall beside her and noticed a sign by the door she'd just exited. It read "RECOVERY ROOM 6" in bold black letters on a white background. Recovery? What had just happened to her?

She slowly padded her way down the hallway to the right, her eyes scanning the walls for anything that could tell her where she was. She noticed other recovery rooms that were empty as she walked, numbering from '5' all the way to '1.' Then she came across a bank of elevators across from a pair of double doors beside which was a panel that read "CHIEF PHYSICIAN, DR. POSSIBLE."

Kim swallowed and slowly approached the doors. Placing her hand on the knobs she pushed them down, hearing the satisfying click, then, with a deep breath, threw them open and stepped inside.

The room was fairly large and shaped in a rectangle with the long side heading away from her. Shelves with books and stacks of files lined the walls until about halfway down the room where a frosted glass wall cut the room in half, leaving a doorway sized opening in the center before a pair of couches that faced each other over a table. A Persian rug covered the floor in the center of the room beneath the couches and table, and someone's purse looked to have been discarded on one of the couches.

Beyond the frosted glass wall, Kim could see two figures moving slightly, and some vague shapes that suggested a desk and some chairs. A bright light filtered from behind the figures to light the area giving the room a surreal look, as if it existed within some ethereal cloud.

Kim slowly moved through the room to the doorway and pulled open the frosted glass door. The two figures in the room behind looked up, surprised, to stare at Kim. It was two women, one sitting at the desk and the other standing beside her as they were studying a monitor inlaid into the desk but now facing at Kim. The two figures were dressed in white lab coats and one was clearly younger than the other. The younger one, behind the desk, looked to be in her thirties while the older one, standing beside her, was probably in her late-fifties and wearing a pair of rimless glasses.

"Kim," said the woman behind the desk. There was surprise in her voice. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even notice you woke up. I should have been there."

"Y-you..." Kim started. "You're me."

Dr. Kim Possible, the woman behind the desk in her thirties, smiled warmly. "That's right. I imagine you're used to that by now."

Kim's eyes then traveled upwards towards the older woman. "Mom?" she said.

Mrs. Dr. Possible, the older woman, adjusted her glasses and also smiled. "It's okay, sweetie. I know it can be disorienting, even if you've done it a hundred times already."

"Where am I?" asked Kim. She looked beyond the two doctors and saw the large window behind them that showed a large room as big as a warehouse with a couple dozen people in lab coats at consoles and monitors stationed around a large spherical device in the center of the room, encased in glass, and glowing a bright white light as it spun in place. "And what is that?"

Dr. Kim Possible explained, "You're in the Trans-Dimensional Facilitation and Protection Agency. We're sort of like a cross-world policing group that watches for dimensions that start to cause trouble. That dimension you were just in has been trouble for a long time, which is why we sealed it shut." She turned slightly to glance through the window. "And that is the Infinite Drive Matrix, a bottled supernova going through constant decay and re-growth. It's essentially a scaled up version of what we used to call--"

"The Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer," Kim finished for her.

Dr. Kim Possible smiled and nodded back. "I'm sorry for the rough trip. Your arrival caused the seal to break and we figured before repairing the breach we would pull you out so you wouldn't get trapped inside." She shrugged. "You're welcome."

Kim stared at the spinning star with awe, and wonder.

"Oh, boy."

---

The MFR shook like it was having a seizure as its skin and clothes melted on its form and surged slowly around its metal frame and hydraulic joints, flexing and stretching before becoming still again and very slowly changing color to match its new form.

With a lurch, the redesigned MFR jumped to its feet, which were now covered in black stiletto heeled boots, and swung its hips as it almost snaked up behind the Grand Commander and leaned on his shoulders to see what he was fiddling with.

The Grand Commander was angrily punching buttons on the Kimmunicator in his hands as he stood in the ruins of his tower top command center in SynerTech tower. The password was an easy matter to break, but no matter what he did, the device refused to open the dimensional gate it said it could make. Wade growled in frustration and nearly threw the small box across the room. "Dammit!" he yelled. "Were we tricked? Was it swapped with a fake?"

"Hmm," Athena purred in Wade's ear. "I don't think so. They were genuinely angry at losing that. I could tell from the surveillance of their conversation and records of their heart rate and pupil dilations. Something has changed."

Wade shook his head. "Can you connect to the Black Gate facility?" he asked.

"I can connect to everything and anything," sung Athena with a self-satisfied smile.

"Zelus' data on dimensional void activity after Kim arrived should show the breach. See if current readings compare."

Athena closed her eyes and hummed happily to herself for a few minutes. "Readings from Flanner graviton emitter don't match," she reported. "The breach has closed itself."

"Kim must have done it when she left," said Wade, with a scowl. "Back to square one."

"Not entirely," said Athena, sliding her arms around Wade from behind. "We know it's possible to break the barrier. And that device can tell us how to create a gateway. We just need something with more force... more power."

"A bigger gravity well," said Wade nodding. "It's not a bad idea." He held up the Kimmunicator. "Interface with it, find out everything you can about how it works. Then we'll use the data to build a bigger one."

Athena licked her lips and gingerly took the Kimmunicator from Wade's hands, unwrapping herself from around him and stepping back to look at the small rectangle with affection. She petted its plastic case kindly.

Wade looked around with a frown at the MFRs and other SynerTech staff cleaning up the operations center. "Where is Flores?" he suddenly asked.

"I locked her in her room earlier," Athena said, her eyes still fixated on the Kimmunicator. "I guess I forgot to let her out."

"Well, please let her out," said Wade. "She's the best staff manager I've ever found."

Athena frowned and pouted at Wade. "But she doesn't like me. She's going to be a troublemaker, just like those constructs were."

"I don't care if she doesn't like you," said Wade. "She has a job to do and she does it well."

"I'm sure _I_ could do it well, too," Athena suggested.

Wade looked at her straight on. "It's a waste of your talents to do her job. I need you to focus on things that only you can do. Play nice with Flores, you both are indispensable to me."

"Oh, fine," Athena said, disappointed. She looked up and to the right for a moment. "There, I've let her out."

"Tell her I need to see her as soon as she gets a chance," said Wade as he turned away from Athena to look at he damage to his operations center again.

Athena frowned for a few moments then, slowly, the side of her mouth slowly crept upwards in a sly grin.

-----

Zita picked her head up off her desk when she heard the sound. She felt she was delirious but she could have sworn her door just unlocked. She sighed in blessed freedom and quickly jumped up from her chair and ran to the door. With a twist she pulled it open to run out.

"Hello again," purred Athena on the other side of the door. Zita quickly skidded to a stop and tried to reverse her moment but only succeeded in falling on her butt in front of the woman in black before her. Zita slowly pushed herself back to make more distance between her and Athena.

"I've been in here forever!" said Zita, angrily, though she found it hard to keep the fear from her voice as she looked at what was, only hours ago, a virtual being suddenly appearing very real. "How did you get a body?" she asked quietly.

"I used a handful of regenerative nanites on an MFR," smiled Athena. "Gave them new programming so they would reconfigure the MFR to match my... tastes."

Zita swallowed and kept moving away until her back touched the opposite wall. "What do you want?"

"The Grand Commander has told me that you are 'indispensable' to him," Athena said with just a hint of malice in her voice. "And ordered me to play nice with you." She stepped forward to close the distance between her and Zita, then kneeled on one knee to be at face-level with her. "But I don't like you."

Zita trembled. "Yeah, well... you're not my favorite construct either."

"Then our feelings are mutual," nodded Athena. She reached out and ran a nail under Zita's chin, just slightly nudging her head upwards. "But I don't want there to be any confusion on your part. The Grand Commander will be very upset if I kill you, but he will get over it. But you can't possibly even hurt me. So know that I hold your leash. If I tell you to do something, you do it. If I tell you to go somewhere, _you go_." Athena got right up in Zita's face and bared her teeth to her on the last two words.

"And if you want something from me," said Athena slowly. She stood up tall again and looked down at Zita beneath her, smirking. "You will kneel before me and lick my boots before I even consider it."

Zita trembled in place, never in her life being so tenuously close to her own mortality.

"Do we..." asked Athena. "Understand?"

Zita nodded.

Athena's eyes narrowed. "Show me."

Zita swallowed. She looked down at Athena's boots, then up again at her face. The construct's eyes sparkled with an unnatural brilliance and her face was filled unbridled joy at her new pet.

-----------------

END PART 4.

Next Time: War of the Worlds


	6. Part 5: WAR OF THE WORLDS 1 of 3

--

**PART V: War of the Worlds (1/3)**

--

Shego's head felt like it was full of ball bearings when she turned it to look around the room. It was oppressively white, and perfectly rectangular. The narrow ends had a door on one side and a frosted glass window on the other while the longer walls each had a bed against them with some sort of medical-looking equipment on either side. There was some bright, pulsating light source beyond the frosted glass that made the whole room look like it was throbbing and made the bearings in her skull rattle with each ebb and flow. She winced as the pain pierced the back of her eyes. She needed some sort of headache medicine and she needed it immediately.

Throwing the thick sheet off her, Shego rolled to the edge of the narrow bed and swung her legs around to stand. Her legs felt stiff, but held her weight well enough that she was on her feet a few moments later. It was then that she noticed the other bed in the room. It was unmade, as if someone had been sleeping in it until recently. Shego hoped it was Kim, because the alternative meant they'd gotten separated during transit. _Again._

Her shoulders felt pinched and she absently rubbed them as she moved to the door. Someone had changed her clothes while she was unconscious, and her soiled shirt and cargo pants had been replaced with a black tank top and loose fitting pants made of some stretchy synthetic. The way the pants scratched across her legs as she walked was irritating and the pain in her skull magnified every sensation. Shego wondered what had been different as she'd never felt like this after crossing worlds before. She felt like she had a massive hangover, without the bonus of having gotten dead drunk the night before.

As Shego reached for the door knob it turned on its own, so she immediately stepped back and raised her arms in defense. She doubted she could fight very well in her current condition but hoped she could intimidate whoever entered. When the door opened an older woman was on the other side, tall, with short red hair and wearing a lab coat on her shoulders and rimless glasses on her nose. The intruder's eyes widened when she saw Shego and raised her hands openly after pinning the clipboard beneath her arm.

"Please, don't be agitated," said the woman. "I was just checking on your condition."

Shego lowered her arms slightly and frowned as she stared back at the older woman. She looked familiar, Shego realized. She was someone she'd seen more than a few times before. Her brain tried feebly to connect a name to the person then crashed and burned in a wave of pain. She put a hand to her forehead. "I need some aspirin," she said.

The woman in the lab coat smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said sticking her hand in her pocket. She pulled out an individually wrapped pair of tablets and offered them to Shego. "A lot of people respond poorly to being yanked out of their universe like that."

Shego took the tablets, tore open the wrapper, and swallowed them quickly. She could barely wait for the medicine to take effect. "You're Kimmie's mother, aren't you?" she said.

The woman nodded again. "That's right. I'm Ann Possible." She looked at Shego's wavering stance and motioned towards the bed. "Do you want to sit down?"

"I'll be fine," Shego waved her off. "Does that mean I'm in a hospital?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. You're in the infirmary, but this isn't quite a hospital." Ann walked past Shego over to the window. Touching a blank metal panel on the left side of the glass it suddenly cleared and Shego could see the vast complex beyond. They appeared to be something like six or seven stories up, looking into a warehouse filled with machinery that would have been right at home in Drakken's lab. Rows of consoles ran in curved lines across the floor of the giant room many of them manned by people in lab coats who would occasionally scurry around between rows. The components were in semi-circular arcs around a giant pedestal upon which rested a glass sphere at least thirty feet in diameter with cables and wiring running out of the bottom. Inside the sphere Shego could see what she could only describe as a slowly rotating point of light that would grow and dim in brightness with regularity.

Shego looked on, over Ann's shoulder, and tried not to appear amazed.

"Yes, it is awe inspiring," said Ann to an unspoken question.

"I didn't say anything," Shego said vacantly. "What is it?"

"It's the Infinite Drive Matrix," said Ann. "It's what we used to track, monitor, and travel to alternate worlds or realities. Like the one we just pulled you and Kim from."

Shego's eyes widened and she suddenly felt guilty. "Where is Kim?" she asked quickly.

"She's with her counterpart right now," said Ann. "She handled the reentry a tad better than you."

"Feh."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," said Ann. Taking her clipboard in her hand, she flipped over the top page and marked something down. "Please let me know if the headache doesn't go away. Also, you should see about eating. Sometimes our retrieval process irradiates a few base minerals in your body. Some fruits and vegetables will balance it out, though."

"Gee, that sounds safe," Shego said quietly, still staring out the window at the massive glowing sphere.

Ann frowned slightly, then placed the clipboard on the bed and slowly walked up behind Shego. "How long have you been traveling?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," Shego shook her head slightly. "Few weeks... less than a month, I guess." She looked up above the sphere at the lattice of rafters supporting a ceiling of clear glass. Beyond it hung a blue sky with a scattering of white clouds. "You guys know what you're doing with this stuff, right? You can control where you go?"

"We have an idea," said Ann.

Shego turned to face the doctor. "You can send us home?"

Ann looked down and Shego turned away again in response.

--

Kim thought her counterpart, Dr. Kim Possible, had quite an impressive office. It was fairly large and lined with books on two of the longer walls. One wall opposite the door was not, in fact, a wall at all but a giant glass partition from floor to ceiling, and there was a glass divider about two-thirds of the way through the room that separated a casual sitting area with two couches and a coffee table, and the more formal office area that had Dr. Kim's glass desk, her office chair and two ergonomic chairs for guests. It was stylish, but simple, and gave it all a slightly sterile feeling that Kim felt was appropriate for a doctor of medicine.

Dr. Kim herself also appealed to Kim, and the latter hoped that she could age as gracefully as her counterpart had in this world. She was still thin, athletic looking, with just a trace of a wrinkle at the corner of her eyes. She was wearing a pale, light green blouse beneath her off-white lab coat and black slacks. Kim even felt a little intimidated, in the simple black shirt and loose fitting pants she'd been given.

"Aha!" called Dr. Kim as she pulled a file off of a low shelf and straightened herself. "Found it." She waved the manila folder slightly as she came back over to her desk and sat in her chair. She spread the file out between her and her counterpart. "Sorry, I get reports about this stuff but I don't really have time to read all of them, so they tend to get lost in the daily clutter."

Kim looked skeptically at the very orderly and neat room. "Clutter, huh?"

"It comes in waves," shrugged Dr. Kim, and pulled out a paper from the file, placing it on top of the folder. The page showed what looked like the end of a fraying blue cable. The right side of the page had a thick bundle of lines, but then it broke apart gradually until it looked like over a hundred tiny independent threads by the left side. "This is an early mapping. I have computer models somewhere that are much more complex, but this should work fine."

"Em, okay," Kim hesitantly agreed. "So this is what the universe looks like?"

"A small part of it anyway," said Dr. Kim. "This is based on some early trans-dimensional BODAR data performed twenty or so years ago."

"BODAR?"

"It's like radar, I think, except it uses some elementary particle or something," said Dr. Kim. "I'm not really fluent in the physics. But you can use it to see how our dimension exists in relation to adjacent ones."

"_Adjacent_ dimensions?" asked Kim. Her head was starting to spin. "I'm confused."

"It confused me too," admitted Dr. Kim. "But you get used to it after a while. The thrust of it is that our world -- or dimension or whatever you want to call it -- is surrounded by hundreds of very similar ones, like bundles of wire tied together but all connected to the same source. These dimensions tend to be different by only a minor amount: different hair color or results of chess matches."

"Okay," said Kim, nodding.

"What's important to realize is that every decision you or anyone makes results in what we call a 'branch' in that world. Imagine a family tree. As you go back a generation, the line from you branches into two for your parents, then two for each of them for their parents and so on and so on. Worlds work the same way. You start with one world, but then you make a decision and that world branches into two worlds. Each of those worlds then comes across decisions of their own causing more branching. Of course, there can always be more than two outcomes for a decision so the number of worlds expands exponentially. Also, a decision doesn't necessarily mean an action either, it can be a choice not to do something or a choice to change the way you think.

"But what's important to realize is that after the first decision, the resultant worlds are adjacent to each other, but as more decisions are made in each world the spaces adjacent to those worlds are being occupied by braches resulting from the more recent choices, so eventually they are no longer adjacent at all and are in completely different bundles."

Kim nodded hesitantly. "I think I'm still with you," she said. "Every decision makes a new world and moves it further from the original world they all branched away from."

"Right," nodded Dr. Kim. "So you can imagine how quickly you end up with millions upon millions of dimensions that are all essentially the same."

"But every place I've been to has been _really_ different," said Kim. "I mean... mega, mondo different. Like, everyone wears hats on their feet kind of different."

"That's where the bundles come in," said Dr. Kim. "I said that similar dimensions are bundled together, right? Well, it turns out -- and this has only been discovered recently -- that every bundle of worlds has a 'core,' a sort of dominant dimension that the other worlds in the bundle trend towards. What that means when traveling is that unless you very specifically target a single dimension in a bundle and use zero-gate precision when jumping, you'll always be forced into the core world and land there."

Kim blinked and tried to interpret that into terms she understood.

"Think of it this way," said Dr. Kim after seeing Kim's confusion. "The bundle of worlds is a sink. When you change dimensions, you're a drop of water being flung across the room into the sink. You may land anywhere in the sink, but you'll eventually slide into the drain. The drain represents the core world in a bundle."

Kim started to nod. "So you can't travel to a fringe world, only a core one. And the core worlds tend to be significantly different from one another."

"Right," said Dr. Kim. "Well, you _can_ actually travel to a fringe world, but it takes a lot of precision and timing. Even with all the equipment and research that has gone into dimensional travel in this world, we've only recently figured out a way to do it. I doubt there are any other core worlds in our region of the multiverse that have even gotten that far."

Kim shook her head. "I'm never going to understand all this."

Smiling, Dr. Kim slipped the map back into the folder. "It's alright, you don't need to understand all of it." She stood to put the folder back.

"Wait," said Kim. "I still don't understand why you can't send us home or find the dimensional drill."

"Oh!" said Dr. Kim, laughing lightly. She sat back down again and pulled out the map. "Okay, so, look down here at the diverse end -- you'll have to imagine this is in 3-D, not flat like this paper -- if you want to go from here to here-" she pointed at two lines on opposite sides of the tangle of worlds, "you have to somehow cross the collection of worlds between them."

"Can't you go around them?" asked Kim.

"Unfortunately, we have yet to discover a means of changing your direction of travel mid-trip," said Dr. Kim. "At least nothing I've been told of. So that means the only way to do it is to go through the intermediate dimensions."

"You have to stop on each world?" asked Kim.

"No," Dr. Kim shook her head. "Not if you don't want. You can go straight through each world, but every dimension that you do go through on a straight trip takes a little bit more energy to reach the next. And depending on if you barely nick a fringe world or sail plain through a core world can result in an substantial increase of energy needed to make your trip. Energy, ultimately, that we can't generate all at once."

Kim looked down and frowned. "We come from too far away for you to send us home," Kim summarized.

"I'm sorry," said Dr. Kim. "I'm told that our mapping department can't even locate your origin within BODAR range."

Kim bit her lip. "But what about the trail? The path leading to dimensional drill and Ron and Drakken?"

"We can see a path left by what we presume is your drill," nodded Dr. Kim. "But it starts somewhere where we can't see, and it ends somewhere else we can't see. But it couldn't possibly have gone too far."

"Why?" asked Kim.

"Because of what I said about traveling through dimensions. It has to be slowing down after every world it passes through so eventually it'll land somewhere and you'll be able to find it."

"But it's nowhere you can see?" pleaded Kim.

Dr. Kim shook her head. "We can give you a boost," she offered. "Send you further along the path than you were when we pulled you, but after that you'll have to move the traditional way."

Kim sighed. "We won't be going anywhere unless we can get back our TDF."

"TDF?" asked Dr. Kim, now her turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"We lost our dimensional opener," said Kim. "Wade took it from us and still had it when you yanked us out."

Dr. Kim's eyes widened. "The universe you were just in?" she said urgently. "Did they know what it did?"

"Yeah, it seemed like it," said Kim. "Why?"

In a flurry, Dr. Kim stood up and quickly started to leave. "I need to tell Will, feel free to look around."

"Eh? Wa-what's going on?" called Kim as her counterpart was crossing the casual area, halfway to the door.

"I'll tell you when I get back!" Dr. Kim replied then vanished through the door.

Kim stared at the empty doorway, wondering what happened. Kim wasn't sure what to think about this world yet, having seen so little of it, but at least her counterpart was friendly and open. That alone put her at the top of the list of alternate-Kim-Possibles-that-are-not-jerks, possibly the top of all people she'd encountered since leaving her home dimension.

Walking over to the bookshelves on one of the walls, Kim scanned over the titles. Most of them were books on medicine and biology, or at least as far as she could identify. Some had titles like 'Endocrine Systems of Non-Mammalian Bipedal Transphibians' and 'Effects of Blue Shift on Stellar Humanoids', and Kim just assumed they had something to do with medicine in this world. Kim had seen lots of medical books before, her mom had a large collection at home, but usually the topics had a common theme -- like 'the brain' in her mom's case. The books in this office, however, covered exceptionally diverse themes. Kim was no expert, but she recognized books on neurology, anesthesiology, oncology, cardiology, immunology, and several other disciplines.

Taking a step back, Kim wondered if her counterpart had actually read all these books or if she just had them up for show. Even if she'd only read half and understood them it was impressive. Dr. Kim had to be a medical genius to be a specialist in so many fields and Kim felt just a little proud that her counterpart was so talented. It meant she was just as talented herself, right?

Kim hadn't put a whole lot of thought into what she was going to do in the future. High school had encouraged her to think about certain fields of study to pursue in college but never really charted out a practical path to follow post-graduate. Given her active life outside of school, Kim had always suspected she'd end up doing something similar for most of her life. Chasing down criminals and fighting with henchmen, it was not a traditional career to be sure, but it was clearly needed and she had more than a little skill in it.

But medicine... actually following her mother's footsteps, why hadn't she considered that before? Her mom certainly had enough fun with it, and it was a very proud and respected career. She could easily save just as many lives pursuing medicine as she would fighting crooks. Sure, she'd never done all too well in biology class, but if she put her time into it, she was sure she could excel.

Of course, she'd have to get home first.

Shaking her head, Kim tried to banish that grim final thought and crossed the room to look at the other bookshelves. Medical texts also adorned these shelves which included an entire bookshelf dedicated to medical journals. As she moved down the wall of shelves the books were less tightly packed and started to be interspersed with various personal items. A trophy from a bowling tournament, a picture of a house with her mom and dad standing in front of it, a pair of tickets to a play on Broadway, a dusty kimmunicator, and a hairdryer-grapple all rested between medical texts.

Kim moved down the row and saw a string of framed pictures and certificates related to Dr. Kim's medical education. A graduation photo stood next to a mortar with a tassel hanging from it espousing the class of '16. There were several certificates and diplomas on the shelf below those, confirming that she held a doctorate in immunology, was certified to practice by the federal government, Colorado, and several other states, and had several additional merits in related medical practices.

Finally, the last bookshelf before the glass partition to Dr. Kim's workspace was full of informal pictures. She saw a picture of Kim, Ron and Rufus from high school, Kim and Monique, all four of them together with Wade, a picture of her with Will Du and Doctor Director wearing casual clothes, another group photo with Team Possible but including Justine Flanner, Felix Renton, and Zita Flores. And finally a picture from what looked like a nice restaurant showing Kim, Ron, and Shego laughing together.

Kim picked up the last picture and looked at it closer. It was very recent, or at least Dr. Kim looked almost identical to how she did now. Ron was dressed rather well in it and had a shortly cropped goatee and Shego was wearing a black suit and had her hair tied behind her. Her dark hair had a few streaks of gray in it that looked somewhat dignifying. Kim was captured by the smiles, though, and tried to think of the worlds she'd been to where her counterparts looked this happy.

The sound of footsteps entering the room caused Kim to turn and she saw her mom walk in.

"How are you doing in here?" Ann asked. "Kim told me she left you alone in her office and wanted me to check in on you."

Kim gently put the picture back on the shelf. "I'm fine," she said. "She ran off rather suddenly."

Ann smiled. "That's how she is these days," she shook her head. "This is a very busy time for the Agency."

"She never actually explained what she did here, actually," said Kim, walking over. "I assume she's a doctor."

"She's the chief of medicine here," Ann said. "And one of the executive staff, so she's involved in all Agency directives."

"She is?" asked Kim. "Not you?"

Ann laughed. "I'm retired for the most part," she said. "I come by to help out, but my clearance is going to expire in a couple years and I probably won't seek to have it renewed."

"Clearance?" asked Kim. "Is this place government run?"

"Not officially," said Ann, leaning on the back of the couch. "But there is some government oversight. The Agency is largely independent, but the security protocols here are rather intense, for obvious reasons."

"Yeah," nodded Kim. "I guess you could cause a lot of chaos rampaging across the dimensions."

Ann blinked. "Well, yes, there's that, but primarily it's because if the containment fields around the IDM were breached it could probably swallow the planet."

Kim froze. "Are you serious?" she asked.

Ann nodded. "The quantum singularity inside the IDM is quite dangerous."

"I can't believe that other Kim just let me wander around!" yelled Kim, alarmed.

"You couldn't have gotten far without one of..." Ann padded her pockets for a few seconds then checked the outside of her coast closely. "One of..." She paused mid motion, then looked up. "Oh, my."

--

The security panel lit up green as Shego approached and the bulkhead door slid open revealing the green grass and expansive sky beyond. She took a few steps through the doorway so that the heavy steel closed behind her, then breathed deeply and looked around. She was outside the Agency's gigantic Embarkation building and was stunned at size of the campus it resided in. Apart from a series of narrow concrete paths leading to three other buildings and the main roadway leading away from the hangar doors of the Embarkation building, there was nothing but acres of well manicured grass stretching for probably a mile or more in all directions. Squinting, Shego could make out a simple wall in the distance, encircling the campus, and separating it from the city that rose in the distance.

"Sheesh," said Shego, shaking her head. "These people are serious about keeping people away."

Turning towards the city in the distance, Shego started walking across the grass. She imagined someone would notice her long before she reached the wall, but for at least a little while she wanted to feel free and alone, two things she hadn't felt since starting this now epic quest. The grass was freshly cut and the sun filtered down though scattered clouds, making the entire scenery seem idyllic. She felt it was only appropriate to go wandering in this sort of weather.

She had heard enough from Mrs. Dr. Possible to know that they were not going to get much help from this 'Agency', whether their story about being able to find their home world checked out or not. Shego didn't ask specifics, but she was sure any organization that included Kim's counterpart in an executive position would think they were doing the universe a favor by saving it from what they would deem 'unsavory' folk. Shego knew better. Power corrupts, and it didn't take her experience in that apocalyptic world created by her counterpart to teach her. There was a good chance this Agency just didn't want to help a pair of renegade dimension hoppers.

Still, there was no TDF anymore, since it was left in the last world. So if these people helped them, they would, and if not, there was little Shego was really going to do about it. She wanted to get angry, to turn her disgust at such an organization into vicious action, but she found she muster the effort. Weeks of traveling had left her _tired_, and she wasn't sure it was even in her best interests to return anymore.

Shego sighed and then breathed in the smell of the grass. She was never one for picnics, but somehow, the sun and the smell just gave her that desire. Isn't that what normal people did in weather like this? Go on picnics?

Stopping in her path, Shego bent at her knees then laid down on the grass, staring up at the sky. She spread her arms like she was welcoming the clouds and became still, her mind the only thing still in motion. Yes, she was sure this is what normal people did to relax.

Shego breathed deliberately once again.

Then she started to smile. "Eh, I still prefer a manicure and a spa treatment," she said to herself, suppressing a chuckle. No, she would never be normal. But then again, she was Shego. Why would she ever want to be normal?

Someone stepped into her light at that moment and put their hands on their hips, looking down. Shego looked over, surprised someone could sneak up on her like that, but try as she might, the light of the sun prevented her from seeing any details save for a black silhouette. Whoever the person was, the only detail Shego could make out was that they had really long hair.

"_This_ is your idea of being a troublemaker?" said a wry voice. It sounded familiar. "Hiding in the very, very short grass while wearing black? I don't suppose you've taken an IQ test in your dimension."

Shego sat up and took a better look at who was talking to her with the sun out of her eyes. As the contrast normalized she realized she was looking up at an older version of herself, wearing some sort of fatigues in gray and black with green accents and a pair of silvery sunglasses. She had a smirk on her face as she looked down at Shego, one that Shego was sure she'd used herself on several occasions.

"Oh my god," said Shego. "In this universe, I'm Iceman."

The elder Shego laughed and held out a hand. "That's Lt. Iceman to you, Maverick."

Shego took the hand and let herself be helped up. She looked at her counterpart up and down and nodded appreciatively. "Not bad," she said. "I'm glad you took care of yourself."

"Have you met a Shego who didn't?" the elder Shego grinned.

Shego thought back for a moment and shivered. "Whatever," she said. "Did they really think sending you to get me would make me feel any better?"

"Nah," the other Shego waved her off. "I volunteered. I figured you'd be bored in there and would prefer not to see another Possible."

"Either way I'm not thrilled to be going back in," Shego shook her head derisively.

"Then don't," shrugged the older Shego. "Come on. We'll hit the city." She started walking towards the wall, leaving the younger momentarily disoriented. She quickly recovered and moved to follow. When she caught up, the other Shego looked glanced at her clothes. "Maybe we'll have to get you something more than a tank top."

"It's not like I know anyone here," shrugged Shego. "But if we're going shopping, you're buying."

The elder Shego laughed.

--

"Don't worry about it, Shego's got it taken care of," said Will Du from behind his desk. Kim, Dr. Kim, and Mrs. Dr. Possible were in his office on the main level of the Embarkation building. It was a simple office, containing much fewer books than Dr. Kim's, and a lot more cabinetry. Will sat behind a glass desk similar to Dr. Kim's but with a series of embedded flatscreen monitors and a touch sensitive top.

"Shego's the one I'm worried about," said Kim, a little uneasily.

"_Our_ Shego's with her," said Will, smiling. "So _your_ Shego should be fine. Sorry, I should have been more specific."

"You're a liar," said Dr. Kim staring at Will with an amused look. "You purposefully try to confuse everyone who comes into this office just to see if they can keep up with you."

"With the number of Kims, Rons, Wades, Shegoes, Drakkens, and Moniques I seen on a regular basis it gets tiring referring to them constantly as 'the Kim from the P3X-259." Will smiled then picked up a folder from his desk and pulled out two white cards with barcodes on them. "Here, this is so you get around, Kim. And this one is for you, Dr. Possible." He tossed one towards Kim and handed the other to Ann.

Kim looked at her card in surprise. "Thanks. You're... er, I'm sure you hear this a lot but--"

"I'm a lot different than your Will?" asked Will.

"Well... yeah." She flushed slightly. "I know it's stupid to say given what I've seen."

"Not necessarily," said Will, leaning back in his chair and straightening his shirt. "From what we've seen the Pareto principle holds fairly true. Eighty percent of Will Du's are alike, eighty percent of Kim Possible's are alike, and so forth. Odds are you come from a universe that has many of those majority personalities, so it's a legitimate statement. Only twenty percent of the time are you going to come across a version of yourself that is different."

"And now you see why he's the administrator," Dr. Kim shook her head. "He's got dimensional probability figured out down to the fourth decimal point."

"It's just math," dismissed Du. "There's always a one in two chance that we'll run into trouble every time we open a gate or we won't. It's just preparing for the chance of trouble that helps keep us and our dimension safe."

"I can't imagine Shego rolls with that very easily," Kim commented.

"She's found her place," said Will casually. "Anyway, you've got access to most of the base except munitions, the actual gate room, and a few miscellaneous places for security sake."

"That's great... I guess," said Kim. "What about my TDF, though?"

Will looked to Dr. Kim once then settled his eyes back on his guest. "We're looking into making you a replacement. Based on what you told Kim, we should be able to duplicate your old gate generator pretty easily, maybe even cut down on the time you have to spend in each dimension."

"Oh... okay. I just figured you might want to get it back from that last world we were at."

"Kim... our relationship with that world is ... complicated, and it really doesn't affect you beyond that if there is anything we can do to keep that world sealed shut, we will do it." Will leaned forward slightly. "Going back for your gate generator just isn't a risk we want to take. A replacement should be fine, right?"

"Uh... yeah, no problem," said Kim looking between Will and Dr. Kim. The latter just nodded in agreement. "Then... how long do you need to make the new one?"

Will smiled earnestly again and leaned back. "A few days, not long. We'll take care of everything you need in the meantime. We're quite used to entertaining guests from other dimensions. In fact, most of Middleton is used to it, so you'll be free to go anywhere you want and you don't have to worry about hiding your nature."

Kim considered how much effort she and Shego would spend trying to fit in and not draw attention to themselves when they arrived at a world and realized it would be a weight off her shoulders. "Thank you," she said again.

"You're welcome," nodded Will. "This is what we do, after all." He nodded slightly to Kim then sat up again and cleared his throat. "Now, I've still got work ahead of me today, so if you'll forgive me. Dr. Possible, would you see to it that Kim has everything she needs?"

Ann nodded. "Of course." She held up her badge for a second. "And thank you for this. I'm sorry to trouble you."

"You know how it is sometimes with Shegos," said Will. "Kim, have a good stay here for the next few days, I'll make sure you're notified as soon as your replacement gate generator is available."

Kim stood. "Thank you," she said. Mrs. Dr. Possible motioned towards the door and Kim stepped ahead to go. Ann followed behind and Dr. Kim started to follow behind her mother.

"Kim, can you stay back just a second," said Will as he looked at papers on his desk.

"Sure," said Dr. Kim and stood at the desk as Kim and Mrs. Dr. Possible filed out.

Will waited for the door to close behind them before his expression darkened and he looked at Dr. Kim. "I need you to join the recon team."

Dr. Kim hung her head then sat down in one of the chairs opposite Will. "I don't do that sort of work anymore," she said.

"You're still an active agent and you still do field work," pointed out Will.

"As a medical specialist," insisted Dr. Kim. "Not a front line fighter."

"You shouldn't need to do any fighting. Just in, get the status, and out again. We close the door behind you." Will spread his arms. "Should be a breeze."

"If it's a breeze, why can't Shego and team three take care of it?" asked Dr. Kim.

Will hesitated. "There _could_ be trouble."

"Here it comes."

"And in that case I want the team with the best chance of avoiding trouble to take care of this." Will looked straight into Dr. Kim's eyes. "Come on, you know you still want to be involved in the action, be a hero again."

Dr. Kim looked back without wavering. "I have something more important than being a hero now, and it doesn't require me to risk my life. Maybe when I was a kid I was... a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but I have a family now. Those old games don't interest me." Kim shrugged. "Besides, I don't understand why the excuse you gave that Kim can't be true. Keep the world bottled up, it's safer for everyone."

Will frowned. "The Grand Commander has a working gate generator and -- even worse -- he knows it's possible to leave his world. A simple void particle masking isn't going to cut it, not for long. If he dumps enough power into that thing he'll eventually get traction and then it's the Director Wars all over again!" He shook his head. "I'm not going to let that happen again."

"We don't even know it happened in the first place," said Dr. Kim. "All we have is that one Kim's testimony and a few scraps of sensor data that she had to piece together for us to even make sense. She was already dying when she came here, she could have been delirious."

"Are you serious?" Will said, angrily. "You're a doctor! You want to take the chance that we could get pulled into a cross-dimensional war when we can stop it right here? Whatever happened to preventative medicine?"

"You don't amputate an injured leg just because it _might_ develop necrosis," said Dr. Kim. "That's not preventative medicine, that's just insane. We don't know what started the war... not specifically. We _think_ it was that world but we could be wrong. If you want real preventative medicine, then send an envoy, not a strike team. TALK to them."

Will shook his head. "If we expose ourselves to him, we open ourselves up to a hundred ways this can go sour. Simple periodic reconnaissance is the easiest, safest way to keep the world contained."

Dr. Kim looked away and grumbled. "Not easy enough since you won't send a team without me."

Will grimaced and studied the papers in front of him silently for a minute. Then his head rose. "Just the initial mission," he said. "Just so we can get a report on his progress and set up a outpost, then we'll do all future visits with Team six."

Dr. Kim looked at him evenly.

"It'll be the last time I ask you to go on first entry mission ever again, okay?' offered Will. "Please, I want everything on our side with this mission, I'm trying to prevent a war."

Dr. Kim looked down. "Dammit, Will," she cursed. Looking up she nodded slowly. "One mission."

"One mission," nodded Will, a little smile at the edge of his lips.

"In that case, no team three," said Dr. Kim. "Nathan's alright but the rest of that group seems on the verge of shooting everything that moves."

"You'll have to fight Shego on that one," said Will. "They're her _darlings_."

"Shego will listen to me, I don't want any funny business from _you_," clarified Dr. Kim.

"There will be no funny business from me," Will raised his hand and swore.

Dr. Kim shook her head. "I can't believe you're making me do this."

"We're scheduling the suspension of the block for Thursday at six our time," said Will. "That gives you two days to prep your team. While you're away the block will be restored and we'll time three follow-up openings for recovery. An immediate, scheduled, and overdue deadline, after that it's shut for good."

"Gee, thanks," Dr. Kim said sarcastically.

"We can't risk anyone getting out while you're there," said Will.

"Fine," Dr. Kim shook her head. "Anything else you want to saddle me with?"

"One thing," said Will. "Can you convince your husband for me?"

Dr. Kim shot him a mean look. "Figures," she grumbled.

--

Shego stared out the tall windows of _Neon Elevation_, a trendy bar located on the top floor of the Lyrica Bank Tower. It wasn't a particularly large establishment, two stories with a balcony and a neon lit bar on each level. Shego figured it was reclaimed office space in an attempt to make the downtown area more attractive after work hours. Regardless of its design sense or popularity, the most striking feature was the view it had over the unnaturally large tree growing in the center of the city.

"Not a bad view," commented the elder Shego coming behind her counterpart. She was holding two glasses, one a green martini, the other a tan liquid in a thick tumbler half filled with ice. She handed the martini over. "Lime martini with gin, as ordered."

Shego took her martini but just held it, staring out the window. "That's a large tree," she said simply.

The older Shego laughed. "It is," she said, taking a sip of her drink. "It's part of the Agency, actually. Our only member with a public profile."

"Member?"

"It's complicated... and full of scientific mumbo-jumbo." She gave her counterpart a sidelong glance. "It has something to do with balancing the effect of the IDM on our world. One of the Wades explained it to me like this: the world is filled with this sort of invisible energy. Complex things like humans and animals use up this energy, simpler things like trees and plants make more."

"Invisible energy?" scoffed Shego. "You mean 'air'?" She shook her head and sipped her drink. A second later she made a sour face. "Ugh, did they think lime zest was going to cover up the food coloring."

"Meh, so they don't make the best drinks around," said the elder Shego. "And he wasn't talking about air. They call it 'sympathetic energy,' and typically it's in balance in the world. But every time you open gateway to another world it uses up a bunch of that energy and creates an imbalance. The bigger your gateway, the more energy you use. The IDM uses a _lot_ of energy. So you need something equally as big to offset it." She motioned out the window.

Shego simply shook her head. "So why is it so far out here, then? Wouldn't you want to protect the shrub if it's so essential? I don't buy it. You're feeding me a line."

Her counterpart grinned. "You'll have to ask Will about it."

Shego just looked back out the window. Whatever purpose the tree served, it was the largest plant she'd ever seen. She was impressed.

"You're very quiet," said the elder Shego. "I thought I was chattier as a youth."

"You're certainly a chatterbox now," muttered Shego.

"Come on, I'm _you_!" said the elder. "If there's anyone you can open up to, it's gotta be your dimensional mirror."

"You're hardly a mirror to me." Shego sipped more of her martini. "In fact, you're more like Kimmie."

"That's not really so bad," shrugged the elder. "Though she's a lightweight when it comes to drinking. I suppose your version isn't of age yet to find that out."

"Great, in this world I grow up to Kimmie's pal."

"You know, there are worse things," the older Shego admonished. She sipped her drink slowly. "She's dependable, responsible, and rarely loses her way."

"And she's a goodie-two-shoes that doesn't know 'helping' from sticking her head in places it should never be," Shego said bitterly.

"Maybe," nodded her counterpart sagely. "But regardless of who you are and what you may think of her... she'll save your life some day."

Shego looked down into her drink. "She's already saved my life," she said softly.

"So what's the problem then?" smiled the older Shego.

Shego hesitated. She sipped her drink again. She looked out over the city, over the giant tree that seemed to have grown itself around several tall buildings like a weed, then she looked up at the night sky. The stars were out since it was a fairly clear night, each one with a different luster.

"We're different people," she said finally, still staring at the points of distant light. "But I seem to be the only person who realizes that." She turned suddenly to face her elder counterpart. "And don't say 'obviously', you know I don't mean literally."

"Okay," elder Shego said in an agreeable manner. She watched as Shego turned back to the view. "How do you mean, then?"

"Listen, you're not my goddamn counselor," snapped Shego. "I can't believe I've told you this much already. I must be turning into a Team Kimmiecub member." She shook her head ruefully.

"'Kimmiecub,' huh?"

"Bite me," snarled Shego.

"Heh."

--

Kim was sitting in Dr. Kim's office reading a stack of files when the doors opened and Administrator Du walked in.

"Hey Kim," he said instinctively then did a double take and chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were our Kim. Behind that pile of papers you don't look all that different."

Kim raised a brow and smiled slightly. "I don't know if I should feel complimented or insulted, considering you mistook me for someone twenty years older than I am."

Will laughed more casually and shook his head slowly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult. Do you know where the doctor is?"

"I think she said she was going home to talk to her... husband," Kim said with just a tinge of uneasiness.

Will walked over and sat in the couch opposite Kim. "Finding it strange to think of him that way?" he asked.

"I've seen worse, trust me," said Kim. "But... yeah, I guess. It's not like I never thought it could happen, but it's a little surprising to see it right in front of me. I kinda thought that maybe our differences would ... be too much."

"Everyone grows up eventually," said Will. "Even Ron Stoppable. Though he's still a little... unorthodox, to put it kindly." He hesitated. "Weird, to be blunt."

Kim laughed. "He wouldn't be Ron if he wasn't," she said.

"Apparently so," Will admitted. "He was a decent agent too, back in the day."

"He retired too?" asked Kim.

"More or less. Both him and Kim backed out of field duty around the same time, so she could finish medical school and he could get his law degree and get into politics."

Kim started. "P-politics?"

"I'm serious," nodded Will. "Though not in the 'potential president' sort of way. He's mostly our eagle eye keeping watch out for the Agency's best interests. Congress has a funny habit of bi-annually getting weary of us and trying to legislate us out of existence. We're largely private from the public, who only knows we do some sort of high-risk flashy science, but the US government saw through that years ago, so we need to protect ourselves from seemingly innocuous bills that have backdoor clauses preventing us from, oh, let's say possessing a black hole. It looks silly to the public, and most of congress probably ignores it, but those provisions are meant to end our 'unsupervised' operations."

"How could they be against saving people?" asked Kim, a little annoyed.

"We don't just save people you know, Kim," said Will, carefully. "Yes, we saved you, and we've done our best to help people we come across, but we're largely just exploring and trying to keep the... unsavory elements from crossing into our world."

"Like Wade," said Kim.

"The Grand Commander of P3X-233 is one of those people," said Will. "But really, most of the time we're just out that visiting new worlds and seeing what's around us." Will shook his head. "Anyway, maybe people view it as a huge unnecessary risk and have been trying to find ways of either shutting us down or absorbing us into the government. Thanks to Ron and our legal team we've managed to avoid both."

"So he still works for you, just not going to any worlds," said Kim.

"That's right," Will nodded. "Though sometimes he helps out. Ron, Kim, and Shego were the best team the Agency had back in the day and they formed some of our longer lasting relationships, so occasionally they come back to facilitate contact with them."

"You have regular contact with alternate realities?" asked Kim.

"Fairly regular," said Will. "Mostly with the ones that are really different. The closer the world is in appearance to ours the more awkward we find it to interact with them. We try to just stay away unless necessary."

"Why?"

"Why is it awkward?" asked Will.

"Why keep in touch? Most of the time I imagine nobody notices you showing up," said Kim. "At least that's what we've seen."

"Really?" Will said with skepticism. "Even your counterparts?"

"Well... we tend to have the bad luck to run into them, whether it's intentional or not," Kim said uneasily.

"It's not a coincidence, you know," said Will. "Without any form of targeting you're always going to be drawn towards your double when you enter a world, unless there's an active gravity well like what we have here." He motioned towards the back of the offices where the windows looked out over the IDM. "That's why you always end up on earth and on land, and not on the moon or in the middle of an ocean or something."

"Huh," said Kim. "I hadn't realized. I guess that makes sense, though it always seemed to favor me instead of Shego."

"It's because you hold the gate opener," said Will. "You're in control of the gateway, so it targets your double, unless it doesn't exist, then it tries for Shego's."

"Ah, like in the Zorpox world," said Kim. She shook her head. "I kinda wish we ended up here earlier, it would have answered my early questions."

Will laughed. "You started outside our range, or else we would have made a more concerted effort to contact. We would have warned you about P3X-233 as well."

Kim nodded slowly and looked down at the file in her hands.

"So what's all this for?" asked Will. "You know we have computer records in this day and age."

Kim smiled sadly. "To tell you the truth, after seeing where technology can lead you in that last world... I kind of wanted to use paper." She looked down for a moment then brightened. "Besides, the other Kim's computer had a password, but her files were lying on the shelves."

"Yes, I do need to talk to the good doctor about her filing practices," Will shook his head. "So these are her old mission reports?"

Kim nodded. "I'm brushing up, seeing what sort of things we might run into in the future. I'm hoping it'll give us an edge."

"When we get you off and going again, we'll put you at the edge of our range so you're closer to the Dimensional Drill," said Will. "So you probably won't run into any of those worlds."

"I know, but seeing how you guys dealt with the unknown and survived is still helpful. Besides..." Kim grinned widely. "These are actually kind of funny."

"Oh? Kim had some choice words for Shego in there?" asked Will.

"And vice versa, but that's not the funniest parts. Her description of Ron's interaction with his counterpart on P3X-181 is hilarious."

"The people with the fish?" asked Will with a smile. "I remember that one. Ron was nothing compared to Shego. She complained of the smell for six weeks after they returned. Non-stop. It drove Zita crazy."

Kim laughed. "I can just imagine, Shego doesn't put up with a shade of discomfort without letting everyone know." She laughed for several seconds before finally calming slightly. "Zita, huh? I haven't seen her around yet, what does she do here?"

Will's smile faltered slightly and he glanced down. "She was a dynamics technician, for a while anyway. Then she worked on our analysis team that went to worlds that were uninhabited to find out why." He looked off to the side towards the windows. "Things went bad during one of those missions and... she died... off world."

Kim was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"It was stupid," Will said angrily. "If we had paid attention to the signs we would have known--" he stopped suddenly. "We changed our policies after that. We learned our lesson and now we make sure it can never happen again. That was little consolation to Shego, though."

"They were friends?" Kim said softly.

"Something like that," Will quietly replied.

--

The elder Shego opened the door to her apartment and waved her younger counterpart in before shutting it behind her. The place was a fairly large, two story studio apartment with nice hardwood floors and had a wall of nearly floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the river and towards the suburbs of Middleton. The first floor was all one big room that was part living room, dining room, kitchen, and entertainment center. Sofas and recliners sat at strategic positions before coffee tables and the large windows. In the center was a spiral staircase that led to the second floor, which was really just three suspended rooms above the first floor with a wide walkway connecting them.

Shego stared at the place and nodded appreciatively. She headed for the windows to get a better look at the view as she heard the elder Shego behind her, apparently going through her mail on the dining room table.

"Make yourself at home," said the elder Shego. "Do you want me to make you another martini?"

Shego walked up to the windows and stared up at the large moon. "You like big windows, don't you?" she asked.

The elder Shego laughed. "I just like looking down at people."

Shego looked into the distance and could see the lights around and inside the Agency's complex, clearly visible beyond the suburbs. "I bet they like to keep an eye on you too," she said wryly.

"Uh-huh," mused the elder Shego as she walked to the bottle rack in the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of gin. She pulled out a shaker and filled it with ice. "If they Agency didn't trust me I'm sure they'd have more to say about letting me lead off-world teams."

Shego shook her head and turned to walk around the rest of the apartment. Since it was a studio flat there was obviously little in the way of wall decorations, mostly lights and models hanging from the ceiling. One wall by the door was fairly large and covered in long, narrow shelves adorned with dozens of pictures and trinkets that, Shego presumed, were trophies or souvenirs from other worlds. The baubles meant little to Shego so she ignored them in favor of the pictures. They told an interesting but disjointed story she was more than able to reconnect.

As Shego reached the last frame of the tale, the elder Shego came up behind her holding two martini glasses again. She handed one over and began sipping the other slowly. "Checking up on me?" she asked casually.

"I've never been one for pictures," said Shego. "But I've never really stayed in one place long enough to keep them." She picked up the last photo and looked at it closely. "This has got to be over a year old, but it's the most recent one." She turned to look at her counterpart.

The elder Shego nodded. "She died, shortly afterwards." She gently took the picture and held it tenderly as she looked at it. "That was eighteen months ago. I don't see the need for anything more recent because this..." she sighed. "It still feels like yesterday."

"People normally keep pictures because of memorable events, not to mark time," said Shego. "Nothing worth remembering in the last year?"

The elder Shego put the picture back on the shelf and turned away. She walked over towards the recliner in the living room. Shego watched her walk. "So, not everything is all rainbows and butterflies in this world after all," she said.

"Nobody said we live in paradise," the elder Shego mused as she sat in the angled recliner. She took a sip from her martini while keeping her eyes on the rising moon. "Like every world, it's the result of choices of the people that live in it. No more, no less." She glanced briefly back at Shego. "Did you know her?"

Shego looked back at the picture then to her counterpart. "We've met. But I clearly don't know her as well as you."

"She was a real cynical one, just like me I suppose," said the elder Shego. "Her mind went a mile a minute, though. She never lost hope because she knew that given enough time you could find another way." She smiled slightly. "Some people see the Wades and they think that's smart. Yeah, sure, they're computer geniuses but she was a different sort of genius. A 'life' genius. She knew what was fun to her and you'd be damned if you thought you could get in the way."

Shego came over to sit on the couch beside the recliner and put her feet on the coffee table. "Sounds pretty selfish."

"Oh, definitely," nodded the elder Shego. "Selfish and self-centered. Determined too. When she wanted something she would push everyone out of the way to get it. If she wanted someone, she wouldn't stop until that person noticed her. She would make that person feel like the queen of the world just to get their attention. She..." She trailed off and her smile slowly faded. She was quiet, then, for several minutes, staring out the window, moving only to sip her drink.

After a while she turned her head to look back at Shego and smiled apologetically. "I'm sure this makes you uncomfortable, I'll stop."

"Since when do you care if you make other people uncomfortable?" asked Shego with a raised brow. "Besides, I don't care who you choose to bed."

"You seemed to care who I made friends with," reminded the elder Shego.

"Kimmie is different," said Shego, defiantly.

"Why's that?"

"Because she's..."

"Can't think of anything?"

"She's Kimmie. Some things are just wrong." Shego sipped her drink.

"Hah, anything is possible," said the elder Shego, lightening her mood. "Besides, there's a thin line between love and hate."

"Do NOT go there," snapped Shego. Her elder counterpart just laughed.

--

Kim folded up the last file and placed it carefully on the shelf in her counterpart's office. The things she'd heard about her double and her organization skills had somehow galvanized her -- at least temporarily -- into being as neat as she could lest _she_ end up with people talking behind her back.

"Everything all set?" asked Will. He was standing in the doorway to the office, having kept Kim company for a while before heading off to ensure the shift change went smoothly to monitor the IDM for the rest of the night.

"I'm good," said Kim, walking back over and picking up the jacket she'd been lent by the Agency. "Am I just supposed to go back over to the room I was in before?"

Will chuckled. "No, we've got arrangements set up for you. We get guests here pretty often, especially Kim Possible-type guests. There's an administration building connected to this one with several levels of guest room. I'll make sure you get set up before heading home."

Kim tossed her jacket over her shoulder and followed Will out of the room and into the corridor towards the stairs. "So where's home for you, Will?" asked Kim as they walked.

"Not far, just a few miles beyond the edge of campus," said Will.

"House?"

"Yup," nodded Will. "Can't get sufficient security in an apartment or town house. Since I'm the administrator, I have slightly higher requirements than Kim or Shego."

"Have you ever..." started Kim, but Will didn't let her finish.

"No," he said. "We run a pretty safe operation here, and thanks to the IDM we don't have to worry about other dimensional travelers. They always show up in the debarkation room where we have the highest security."

"Not bad," shrugged Kim. They badged through a series of doors until they reached a skywalk that connected the warehouse-sized Embarkation Building to the more narrow and taller administrative building Will had mentioned. The glass skywalk gave Kim a great view of the city lit up at night. She stared at it in awe. "The buildings are so tall," she said.

"Are they?" asked Will. "I have to say, that's one thing we don't tend to have formal figures on. Generally falls under aesthetics, which doesn't make it in filtered reports I get."

"Well, if they're not taller they certainly seem bigger than in my world," said Kim. "It's kind of pretty."

Will nodded. "At night it becomes very tranquil. We're lucky on that front, less to worry about here at the Agency. Domestic issues were never our purpose, after all."

Kim looked out the other side of the skywalk, looking over the rest of the Agency's campus. Most of the buildings were dark but a single structure that looked like a warehouse was glowing from the inside as well as had a series of spotlights shining on the outside. In big bold letters on the side of the building was written in black "B25."

"What's that?" Kim asked, pointing at the lit building.

"Building 25," said Will as he walked. "The great experiment."

Kim frowned and moved beside Will again. "What experiment?"

"The Wades are building a ship in there," said Will. "They think they can create a portable embarkation room and suspend it in the void. They call it Project Argus."

"A trans-dimensional space ship?" Kim said loudly, surprised.

"I don't know if 'space ship' is accurate, but, essentially." Will nodded. "It's been in production for a few years now, it's quite incredible. If it works right, we'll be able to greatly expand the region of the mulitverse we monitor."

Kim slowed slightly and looked to Will, who kept walking. "What do you mean?" Kim asked cautiously.

Will paused and looked back. "If we can navigate in the void, then we don't need to go through other worlds to reach further ones. We can simply go around them. Then our reach becomes almost limitless." He smiled. "We might even be able to take you directly home... assuming it works." Will shrugged then continued walking.

Kim hesitated for a moment then ran to catch up with Will. They reached the end of the skywalk together, and Will opened the double doors to led Kim into a long hallway with doors spaced evenly down the walk. Each door had a number and a letter on it, starting a 225E and counting down. Kim looked at the identical doors as they walked past.

"It's like a hotel," she observed.

"This floor certainly is," said Will. "We've had more than a few guests, both domestic and extra-dimensional, and this building was quickly adapted to house them." Will stopped abruptly and looked at the door to his right. It was a tall wooden door, painted red, with the number '305' attached in brass. "Here we are." He opened the door and motioned for Kim to enter. He followed shortly afterwards.

Kim whistled faintly as Will walked up behind her. "This is a nice place," she said staring at the stretching hardwood floor and fancy cherry wood accoutrements. The ceilings were tall and outlined in crown molding with a simple chandelier hanging over the square dining room table. Off to the side she could see a short hallway leading into a bedroom with a large bed beyond.

"We try to be as accommodating as possible," smiled Will. He held out a yellow plastic card.

"What's this?" asked Kim as she took the rectangle of plastic. "I already have an ID badge."

"It's the key to the room," said Will plainly. "As long as it's on you, the door will unlock when you go to open it."

"Okay," Kim said, looking at the card skeptically. "What about Shego?"

"Her counterpart is with her, I think she's going to get her to spend the night at her place, so I'll give her a key tomorrow," shrugged Will. "I don't suppose you run into very many friendly Shego's out there."

"Depends on how you define friendly," said Kim simply.

Will laughed. "Fair enough, she's not all bad. In any case, we don't run into many... what our Shego would call 'normal' versions of her. I think she's delighted to talk with someone who's fairly similar to her and friendly with you as well."

"As long as she's okay," said Kim. "I haven't really seen her since we got here."

"From what I understand she's a little withdrawn," said Will.

"She's been through a lot," said Kim, without going into detail. "If we can avoid trouble in this wor--"

Her sentence was cut off by a sudden low rumble in the floor that rattled the plates in the kitchen and the crystal in the chandelier. A second later, a loud crack like thunder sounded and the shaking stopped. The lights dimmed for a second afterwards then returned to normal.

"What was--"

A loud chirp sounded from Will and he reached into his pocket to pull out a small long rectangle that Kim assumed was a phone. He spoke into one end urgently.

"What's going on?" Will said.

"Code 43," replied the voice on the other side.

"Damn," said Will quietly. "I'm on my way." He looked up to Kim. "I have to go, excuse me." He turned on his foot and swept to the door.

"Wait, I'm coming too," said Kim, following closely behind.

"You don't have authority here, Kim, just stay put," said Will as he left the room. Kim followed him out and closed the door behind her.

"If there's something wrong I want to find out what," said Kim.

"You were just about to tell me you wanted to avoid trouble," Will said angrily. "This isn't your business."

"I'm not going to ignore a problem when it's happening in the next building over!" Kim said, a little annoyed. "So what's a Code 43?"

"It's urgent. Now go back."

"What's urgent?" asked Kim. "It must mean more than just that."

Will shook his head as he ran down the corridors of the Embarkation Building towards the main level. Kim kept on his heels; not letting him put any distance between them. As athletic as Kim was, it was hardly difficult for her.

"You're not going to understand what's going on," said Will. "You're better off staying out."

"I can't just sit on my hands until you guys decide to give me a new TDF or build your space ship," said Kim. "Let me do _something_."

Will stopped by the security door to the large center room housing the IDM and the Agency gate staff. He looked back at Kim with a scowl. "That is one of the most annoying and persistent traits in your kind."

"Then you know you can't talk me out of it," nodded Kim.

Will stared. Then he rolled his eyes and opened the door to the IDM room. He motioned for Kim to go ahead of him and she quickly slipped in. She was almost immediately frozen in place in awe. The IDM was a huge glowing sphere encased in multiple layers of glass, several stories tall, which only looked small from the sixth story window in the medical bay. The room in which it was sitting was none too small itself, stretching at least twelve stories tall with a glass top and slightly angled windows looking down on it in a circle like the inside of a fishbowl. On the floor of the room were many computer stations and complicated scanning equipment, arranged in concentric three-quarter circles around the IDM, expanding outwards until they had covered the room.

Weaving and bobbing between the consoles and each other were about thirty scientists and a few random people in agency uniforms like Will's. Kim tried to stand beside Will to keep out of the way but the Agency's administrator quickly strode forth into the mix.

"What's going on?" asked Will as he neared the innermost concentric ring of computers.

A thin, lanky scientist with short, dark, slightly thinning hair and horn-rimmed glasses turned around and looked to Will. The man's demeanor reminded Kim of Ned from the Bueno Nacho, but from the face she could tell it wasn't really him. "The inner containment walls shattered during a rapid unexpected expansion," reported the scientist.

"Expansion?" asked Will looking up at the IDM. Squinting against the light being emitted from the slowly rotating accretion disc, he could see the lattice of cracks as well as the shattered barriers resting on the bottom. "Caused by what?"

The scientist shrugged. "Not really sure," he admitted. "Best guess is that something large passed through our reality and our IDM tried to catch it." The man adjusted his glasses. "It's still growing, but it's slowing. We suspect it'll be sixteen percent larger by the time it stops."

"Isn't that a lot for something so big?" asked Kim. Will and the scientist looked at her simultaneously. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

"You're right," nodded the scientist. He turned back to Will. "The largest one-time growth we've ever tracked was eight and a half percent, this is nearly twice that."

"So that goes back to the first question," said Will. "What caused it?"

"We can't do a BODAR ping until the growth slows," said the scientist. "But we might find a trail."

"How much longer until we can?"

"An hour at most."

Will frowned and crossed his arms, staring at the IDM. After a minute he nodded. "Gordon!"

A tall, broad man with short dark hair and a goatee in an agency uniform who had been leering over the shoulders of a few scientists suddenly straightened and turned stiffly. "Yes, sir?"

"Call in team three," said Will. "If there's a trail I want to see where it goes."

"Right away, sir," nodded Gordon.

"Any other possible causes for the expansion, Dr. Kleiner?" asked Will.

The scientist rubbed his chin and opened his mouth slowly. "Just one, though it's only idle speculation."

"Let's hear it," said Will.

"It could have been an attack."

Will stiffened and stared at Dr. Kleiner. Several others in the room stopped what they were doing and looked up.

"A focused projection of excited void particles," continued the doctor. "Like a laser. It could have caused a rapid expansion like what we saw, and it would look to us like someone traveling across dimensions because it would essentially be an empty void bridge."

"But only sixteen percent?" said Will.

"It wouldn't be an exceptionally effective means of attack," explained Dr. Kleiner, "and our containment barriers would have kept the growth to a minimum, but if someone wasn't sure what they were doing, and only knew the basics about trans-dimensional theory... it would seem to make a lot of sense to them."

Will frowned deeply and looked between Kleiner and the IDM. "I want you to reinforce those barriers immediately," he said forcefully. He looked over at Gordon. "And call me as soon as Shego gets here." Turning on his foot he quickly headed for the door.

Kim stared after him until he reached the doorway and paused, looking back impatiently. "Kim?" he said loudly, then pointed out the doorway.

Kim jumped. "Oh, right," she said, then quickly scampered after him.

--

A crowd gathered around Dr. Kleiner's console within the IDM room around two o'clock in the morning. Will was directly beside the doctor with the elder Shego flanking him on the other side. Behind them was Gordon, the IDM operations manager on 2nd shift, the rest of team three, several of the other night scientists and, finally, Kim, struggling to see what was coming up on the small screen.

"You said an hour at most, Doctor," Will said slowly. "It's been three."

Kliener pushed up his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "The effect was larger than anything we'd seen before, I had no idea it would take this long to normalize."

"I'm just saying, when you use words like 'at the most' it builds a certain sort of expectation," said Will.

"You're just cranky because I said it could have been an attack and you had to wake up general counsel," said Dr. Kleiner.

"Doctor--" started Will, but didn't get to finish.

"Boson readings coming back," interrupted Dr. Kleiner. He switched his display to show tactical information on the dimensional region. Slowly fuzzy dots appeared on the display over a grid labeled like a road atlas. After a few seconds the fuzzy areas started to become more defined until it showed a series of different sized circles. Big circles were clustered by smaller circles, usually with a big of empty space before the next big circle with its clustered dots.

"What the hell?" the elder Shego said, angrily.

"Let me get the drift," said Dr. Kleiner. He picked up a pen and tapped on the big circles one at a time and entered in a series of numbers after each one. After he had touched all the circles, he switched displays again and a map like the one Kim saw in Dr. Kim's office appeared, a thick band on the left side of the screen, slowly fraying and spreading out to hundreds of smaller threads on the right. As Kim watched, the whole map shifted left and slowly the right hand side filled in.

"All done," said Dr. Kleiner. The screen changed again to show three views of the map. One showed the band-to-threads that was just up on the screen, another showed the circles with clustered dots, and a last view that was like the circles with dots but had dotted circles overlaid that were slightly offset from the solid circles. One of the large circles had no dotted circle near it and all the other circles and dots around it were significantly off-set from the dotted circles around them.

"What the hell is that?" asked the elder Shego as she pointed to the large circle with no dotted line.

"P3X-951, I think," said Dr. Kleiner.

"No, that's up over here, you labeled it wrong," the elder Shego said, pointing a finger at a dotted circle above and to the right of the solid one.

"I did no such thing," said Dr. Kleiner. "Look, the drift was larger than expected but it's clearly within the range."

"Are you stupid?" asked the elder Shego. "There is no way it went that far south. _This_ is 951, and this new one is probably 614, which means you mislabeled this one." She was pointing all over the map faster than Kim could keep up.

"I am a leader in this theory, I did not make a mistake," said Dr. Kleiner. "Just because you go through the gate and I stay here doesn't mean you know anything about dimensional drift patterns."

"Like that means anything," scoffed the elder Shego. "You redefine those drift patterns every other day. Meanwhile, I'm telling you, that is not 951."

"It's not P3X-951," said Will suddenly, staring at the map.

"See?" Shego said, self-assuredly.

"Show me the path of the 'attack'," said Will, ignoring Shego.

Dr. Kleiner clicked on the screen in a few places then typed something. A red narrow cone appeared from a large circle in the center of the map going straight towards the center of the circle with no dotted line and then trailing off past the end of the screen. Will shook his head. "It's not P3X-614 either. It's a new branch, probably off of P3X-399, or one of its corollaries."

"A new branch couldn't have grown that quickly," said the elder Shego. She was frowning.

Will turned and patted Shego on the shoulder. "Then go find out what it is, for me," he said.

The elder Shego blinked then stared as Will pushed his way back through the small crowd and headed for the exit. With a slight laugh, she turned towards team three and pointed over their heads. "Suit up everyone, we're going out."

The uniformed group of agents saluted then filed off in the opposite direction of Will. Per the tour she got earlier, they were heading towards the gate room, where dimensional travelers left the dimension from. Kim grabbed the elder Shego before she could follow her team.

"What's up, Kim?" said the elder Shego, curiously.

"What happened to Shego?" asked Kim. "Um, the Shego that came with me."

"She's back at my place." The elder Shego motioning to the side with her head. "She wasn't all that interested in some midnight alarm."

"Oh," Kim looked down.

"I can give you my address, if you want," the elder Shego looked around for some paper as she pulled a pen from the pocket of a passing scientist. She smiled. "I assume you know your way around Middleton."

"Can I come with you?" asked Kim suddenly.

"Er, well, I'm not heading back there just yet, I'm sure you heard."

Kim shook her head. "No, I mean, on the mission. Can I come with you to that other dimension?"

"Aren't you tired of traveling between worlds yet?" asked the elder Shego.

Kim looked at her dubiously.

"All right, fine," shrugged Shego. "I'm sure Will is going to have something to say about it, but I'll take care of him." She patted Kim on the head. "I know how determined you can be, so I won't bother trying to talk you out of it."

Kim shook Shego's hand off her head. "Hey."

Shego laughed. "Sorry... you're like a mini-Kimmie, it's cute. All the Kim Possibles in this region of the multiverse are older than you."

Kim shifted uncomfortably. "Doesn't your Kim have her own mini versions running around?"

"They're not your age yet," said Shego. Her smile widened. "They're more like their father than you'd expect, though."

"I really don't want to know," Kim sighed.

Shego looked down at her through narrowed eyes. "An interesting response."

"Don't psychoanalyze me," Kim punched her in the arm softly then wagged her finger at her. "You may have fifty years on me but I can still take you." With a twist on her heel, she marched off after team three.

"Hey!" Shego called after her. "I am NOT fifty years older than you!"

--

The sixth floor of the building had once housed nearly a hundred workers in neatly organized cubicles designed to improve efficiency of both production and space. Now the cubicles had collapsed on each other like a room full of dominos and the once populous building left to crumble. Breaking the eerie silence in the ghost office came an explosion of sound and blue-white light that washed out the entire floor of color for an instant before quickly fading to a simple, small throbbing circle.

With a muted bang the circle of light pulsed once and a muscular man in a black tactical gear was ejected from the gate, flipped once in mid-air and landed on his feet. He held his rifle tightly as he pointed it quickly around the room, his eyes scanning every corner in an instant. After a second he relaxed slightly and lowered his weapon.

Two more figures, a woman and another man leapt from the gate and landed on their feet -- without the flip. They looked around briefly as well, then moved quickly away from the gate as it pulsed again. This time the elder Shego came through and gracefully landed, her hands a pair of glowing claws as her raven hair whipped around her head from the wind generated by the gate. Finally, a redheaded teen was thrown from the gate, head first, twisting in the air. With a deft flick of her hand, Shego disbursed the green energy circling her fingertips and grabbed Kim before she could plant her face in the ground.

With a grin, Shego looked down at Kim in her arms. "How many times have you done this already and you haven't figured out how to land on your feet?"

Kim grabbed Shego's hands and pulled them off her, dropping to the ground. Pushing up onto her feet she straightened her clothes and looked around. The floor of the office was devoid of life but otherwise intact, with a row of dull-red glowing windows lining the perimeter of the room. Team three had already begun spreading out and searching the area while Shego just looked at Kim with a smile.

Kim frowned. "Knock that off, it's creepy," she said.

"It's funny," said Shego. "You're the one who taught me how to land."

"I'm sure I was a little older than I am now when I did that," Kim said pointedly.

Shego shrugged. "A little bit," she said simply.

Kim shook her head and walked towards the edge of the floor to look at the windows. As she got closer she slowed considerably and her eyes widened. "Oh my god."

Shego quickly stepped up behind her and stared with equal amazement. "This is the first time I've seen that..." she said distantly.

Outside the building, what was left of the city of Middleton was crumbled buildings and red sand blowing rapidly through the remains. The six story office building they were in was not the tallest remaining building but it was nearly so, with most of the towers and mid-sized structures having clearly collapsed. The sun was hanging low in the sky and glowing a strange red instead of the normal yellow.

"What happened?" asked Kim, still staring.

"I have no idea," Shego shook her head. "There has to be someone alive here, though."

Kim turned away from the apocalypse outside to look up at Shego. "Why?"

Shego reached into one of the back pouches around her waist and pulled out a rectangular object with a screen that sort of looked like a PDA. She pressed an inset button on the top and the screen game to life. After a second she smiled and turned the device around to show it to Kim. It looked like radar and was showing six red dots on it. "Why else would we have gated out here if there wasn't a person nearby?"

--

Kim and Shego took the stairs into the basement of the building carefully. They had learned the hard way that there were occasionally tremors that made navigating stairs dangerous and wanted to be more safe than sorry. The elevators as well as all the power in the building was out leaving them only the light from the glow sticks and palm flashlights they had brought with them from the Agency. The green glow of the sticks gave everything a ghostly feel, as if the empty shell of a building was housing restless souls of the departed.

Shego's radio crackled to life as they made their way around yet another bend in the staircase. "Shego?"

"Go ahead," Shego said into her radio.

"We just found the remains of the Universitalis Statue," the gruff voice over the radio responded.

"Are you sure?" asked Shego.

"Pretty sure."

"Damn. All right, keep looking for any clues as to what happened." Shego shook her head. "I guess this is a branch of 399."

"What's the Universitalis Statue?" asked Kim. Shego motioned ahead with the glow stick and they both continued down the stairs.

"It's a statue of your brothers," said Shego. "They created a lightweight alloy used in building cars or something, became somewhat influential in this world." She shrugged. "At least, until now."

Kim froze in surprise. In an instant her brothers went from the tweebs to famous to dust in her mind, it was a little shocking. Shego slowed and looked back up at her.

"Try not to take it personally," she said softly. "They're not really your brothers and this is not your world. Don't get hung up in their problems."

Kim was quiet for a moment. "It's hard to do," she said finally. "They're all the same as I remember them, except they made one different choice years ago."

"Maybe that's true," said Shego, drawing nearer to her. "But choices are who and what we are. We... my Kimmie and I, have probably run into dozens of variations of me across the worlds. Some are like me, and decided to take responsibility for the worlds they live in, some, however, are not. They choose to remain flippant, rebellious, reckless villains and, yes, I do sympathize with them because we all faced the same tough choice. But I'm not responsible for what they did, because just as much as I made a choice for good or ill to become what I am, they made a choice not to. And that's different enough for me."

"But my brothers... they didn't choose to become evil or not become who I know them to be," said Kim. "They're just gone, with their legacy to be forgotten to a dead planet and lost as a footnote in your agency's computer."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't care," said Shego, putting a hand on Kim's shoulder. "But I'm telling you to keep it in perspective. You're traveling between worlds of possibility, where every left could be a right, the good people you know turned twisted and evil, and, yes, the living, breathing people that you know could be dust. If you don't like it... the next world will be different." She patted Kim's back. "You'll figure out how to deal with it eventually."

Kim shook her head slowly as Shego walked away again, taking a few steps down before waving back up to her. "Come on," she said, motioning with the glow stick again.

Kim slowly began moving down. She could hear what Shego was saying but it just sounded callous to her in the face of finding out her brothers were dead. How could she not be affected by this? This was once a planet full of life! So many killed, and for what reason? Because for every world where everyone survives, one where everyone has to die exists as well? Her mind told her the cold scales of justice couldn't be employed any more effectively but her heart screamed. Why did so many people have to die for justice? Wasn't that exactly what she was against?

Lost in her thoughts, Kim nearly toppled forward when she moved to take another step down and discovered they'd reached the floor already. She stumbled slightly but kept herself upright as she looked around.

The basement level was dark since there was no power and no windows this far below ground, but the dull glow of Shego's glow stick cast a green hue on the long corridor with occasional upturned boxes. Doorways lined the hall on either side, spaced a dozen feet apart before vanishing into darkness the weak light couldn't penetrate.

Kim frowned. "Where did everyone go?" she asked aloud. "The cities ruined, rooms slightly upturned but not scavenged, but no people."

Shego shook her head while trying to gaze into the darkness. "It's a good question. It wasn't long ago this place was thriving, and the bodies this far in the building shouldn't have decomposed already. They all went somewhere; whether they were alive or dead when they did I'm not sure." Reaching into her vest pouch, she produced a handful of glow sticks. "Here."

Kim cracked one of the glow sticks and walked over to the first door, slowly opening it. A gust of dust flew at her momentarily but quickly calmed, leaving a plume of particles in the air around her. She peered through the floating dust and noticed a small office-like room with a desk, several cabinets, but no people. She stepped back into the hall and closed the door behind her. "They're just offices," she said finally. "What does your scanner say?"

Shego blinked then reached into her back pouch again. Pulling out the rectangular life signs detector, she waved it around slightly then looked up. "Dead ahead."

Kim turned to look down the dark hallway. The green light went twenty or so feet down the hall but ended in darkness. She flipped the stick in her hand to get a better grip then threw it down the hallway. The mote of light sailed into the darkness, bouncing off a wall and the ground before rolling several more feet and coming to stop.

Kim and Shego squinted to see better but they quickly noticed the form lying beside where the glow stick came to a stop. Kim looked back at Shego once before cupping her and to her mouth. "Hello?"

There was nothing but silence in response.

Shego moved slightly behind Kim and the muted squawk of a radio sounded. "This is Shego, we may have something down here in basement two, standby."

"Roger," came the reply.

Kim stepped slowly forward, keeping the small beam of the palm flashlight focused on the unmoving form at the end of the hall. She could hear Shego's soft footfalls behind her as they moved, echoing around the hall making them sound like a half-dozen more people than they were. Kim kept her hand slightly raised in a guarding position as she walked, just in case whatever it was at the end of the hall decided to attack.

As they neared, though, she lowered her guard. They could easily see the small, thin form of a girl, dressed in ragged clothing, lying face down on the floor, her head a long mop of red hair. Kim stared at the figure, watching her chest move slightly.

Shego kneeled beside the girl and gently turned her onto her back, letting the red hair part and reveal a familiar face. "Yup, it's you," Shego said quietly. She reached forward and felt under the girl's neck for a pulse. "Her pulse is weak. Who knows how long she's been here, nobody else around, no food or water."

"We have to do something for her," said Kim, impulsively.

Shego nodded slowly. "You're probably right," she said. "We'll never find out what happened here if we don't."

Kim hesitated. "That's not quite-"

Shego touched her radio again. "This is Shego, we've got a survivor here, and we're heading back up. Prepare to gate out."

"Yessir."

Shego pulled nylon netting out of one of the pouches at her belt. It was a simple lattice of lightweight red cords that she laid down beside the girl. "Help me lay her on this," she said to Kim.

"We're just going to take her?" asked Kim, startled.

"We'll bring her back if wants to go, but we don't have very many medical supplies with us, we can't treat her here," said Shego.

Kim shook her head for a second then gently cradled the girl's head as they lifted her slightly and put her on the netting. Shego then began gathering the ends. "I'm not used to this," Kim said.

"Come on, Kimmie, how many times are you going to be startled at your double?" Shego said, annoyed. She then lifted the girl onto her back and used the netting to keep her in place. Without hesitating, she started heading back the way they came.

"Not that," said Kim as she followed. "Being able to come and go as you please. Shego and I have been stuck on a 24-hour cycle for weeks now and we can never go back to worlds we left."

"Ah," said Shego, smiling briefly as she walked. She adjusted the weight of the girl to hold her better and increase her stride length. "That's just one of the benefits of working with the most powerful inter-dimensional Agency in our narrow little corner of the multiverse."

Kim slowed her step as Shego continued on ahead of her. "And soon to be a much larger corner," she quietly said to herself. Shego continued walking and Kim eventually quickened her pace to catch up again.


	7. Part 5: WAR OF THE WORLDS 2 of 3

--

**PART V: War of the Worlds (2/3)**

--

The younger Shego woke up to the empty apartment of her elder, native counterpart, but found that the silence began to drag on her after a few minutes. She'd never had issues being on her own before and she was confused by her reaction to the feelings of isolation, but rather than waste time psychoanalyzing herself, she gathered up her few belongings and borrowed some clean clothes to wear out of the apartment. The elder Shego was not all that different in size to her and she found the clothes to fit as well as anything she'd worn since encountering that damn drill.

Taking a moment to fix her hair, Shego stepped out into the city and observed the madness of morning rush hour. It was still early enough that people were heading to work or school or whatever it was that working people did in the AM hours. Shego had never really been part of that world after she left high school and found she had little real desire to be part of it now. The consistency of it bothered the rebel deep in her core, and the thought of knowing your schedule for the next thirty years was not a pleasant one to her.

Pulling out the small fold of cash that her counterpart gave her last night, Shego decided she easily had enough for some coffee and a paper, and decided that was how she was going to start the day. Kim and she had learned early on their trip that the paper was the easiest way to get a real bearing on how a world was different than the one they mutually knew. Current events, style, market knowledge, politics, technology, all in one neat package with minimal investment.

After getting her extra dark and Middleton Ledger, Shego sat by the window of the coffee shop she'd entered and settled down to read the morning news. A minute later she began to get the weird feeling she was being stared at making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She looked around the coffee shop discreetly then turned her eyes to the window. After a few seconds of search her eyes locked onto something and her jaw dropped.

Across the street, on the side of a building was a billboard depicting perfume or fragrance of some sort called 'Cassiopeia.' Beside the bottle and name was a young dark-haired female model, as Shego would expect to see in such an advertisement. However, staring at the model, she was more and more convinced with each passing second that she was looking at an eighteen-year-old version of herself.

But she'd already met the version of herself on this world and she was far from sixteen. So who was this?

--

Drs. Kim and Ann Possible walked out of recovery room three to find the younger Kim that had arrived the day prior and Will Du waiting in the curved hallway outside. Kim and Will were talking but quickly stopped and turned to look at the two generations of doctors as they approached.

"How is our patient?" asked Will, glancing subtly past Dr. Kim at the closed door.

"She was suffering from extreme malnutrition and dehydration," said Ann, glancing at the chart in her hands. "Also what looks like a couple of untreated broken ribs that luckily had not punctured any organs. We've got her hydrating and feeding her intravenously. We'll take some more x-rays later to see if we need to operate."

"Has she said anything?" asked Kim.

Dr. Kim glanced down then shook her head. "Not yet. She gained consciousness for a little while but didn't even react to where she was or my presence. She may have some psychological damage."

"Is it serious?" asked Will.

"We'll need a professional to tell us more, but if she really is the only survivor of that world and she had to watch everyone else die... I don't know how well any of us could take that." Dr. Kim sighed. "For now, she needs rest and we'll see about talking to her later."

"Let me know the minute you're able to talk with her," said Will.

"All right," nodded Dr. Kim. Will turned and quickly walked off towards the staircase out of the medical area. "Sorry if we interrupted anything."

Her counterpart yawned. "We weren't talking about anything important... just something about Shego needing authority before taking guests off-world."

Dr. Kim laughed. "He complains a lot but he knows there's no one better than Shego at this sort of stuff."

"Nobody who isn't retired, anyway," said Ann with a smirk.

"Mom," chided Dr. Kim.

"I still recall the trinity," Ann said with reverence. "And it wasn't Shego, Shego, and other Shego."

"I still remember fighting the villain Shego as a kid too," said Dr. Kim. "That doesn't mean she can't be one of the most important heroes in the multiverse right now."

"I'm just trying to remind you that she doesn't stand alone," said Ann patting Dr. Kim on the shoudler. "No matter how much she thinks she does." She handed over her chart to Dr. Kim and left towards the higher numbered recovery rooms.

"Sorry about that," said Dr. Kim to Kim. "Didn't mean to make you feel awkward. Mom's never completely comfortable with Shego these days, and whenever we have more than one around she gets edgy."

"Something happen between them?" asked Kim.

"A few things," sighed Dr. Kim. "Nothing violent or anything. They had a bit of a... falling out after Zita died, though. I think Shego blames her and mom doesn't take it well when she loses patients."

"Zita? I heard she died off-world," said Kim.

"She did," nodded Dr. Kim. "Mom was still active with the field unit, she was there when they got the call and tried to save her. It was way too late though, and I know Shego knows that. But it's hard to lose someone you care about."

"Wow..." said Kim slowly.

"Yeah, like I said, sorry to burden you with this."

"No, it's okay, I asked," said Kim, yawning again.

"You should get some sleep."

Kim raised a finger to protest then dropped it. "I guess I should, no sense in arguing with myself." She smiled.

Dr. Kim laughed politely. "That joke gets old around here, just so you know."

"I imagine," laughed Kim. "All right, I'll head back to the room Will set up for us. Let me know if that Kim wakes up, I'd like to talk to her."

"I'll put you on the list," said Dr. Kim, nodding.

Kim turned to leave then stopped and looked back. "Hey, what happened to Shego?"

"She was with you," reminded Dr. Kim.

"No, no, my Shego," Kim clarified.

"Oh... at our Shego's apartment, I guess. She hasn't shown up at the agency yet today that I've seen."

Kim nodded. "Thanks." She turned and headed lethargically out of the medical ward.

--

Shego had lucked out when she found the advertising agency who had created the ad shown on the billboard was local to Middleton. It didn't mean the model herself was anywhere near the city, but it at least gave her a means to _question_ someone more forcefully than the phone would typically allow. It would also give her the opportunity to leverage her feminine wiles if it was necessary.

She walked into the lobby of Simon, Sullivan, and Westerman Marketing and was greeted by a simple room of simplistic design. Squarish looking furniture was carefully organized in facing rows on either side of the lobby with a long grey rug leading up to a stone receptionist desk with a glass top. An imposing woman with short dark hair, frameless glasses and a stern face sat at the desk talking on the phone. So much for feminine wiles.

Shego strode up to the desk purposefully and the receptionist put her call on hold to address her. "Good morning," she said in what was probably supposed to be a friendly manner but was more like restrained hostility.

"Hey," Shego said, being curt as she felt anything else would be a wasted effort. "I want to know more about an ad on a billboard I saw on--"

"Here," said the receptionist as she lifted a thick binder and placed on the glass surface of the desk. She then turned her eyes away from Shego and picked up her call again.

Shego blinked then opened the binder to discover a page with three reduced advertisements on it and staff and contact information beside each one. Turning the page, she found more of the same, but not the advertisement she saw downtown. She continued paging through the book.

"You can take that to a seat if you want," the receptionist suddenly said towards Shego. It sounded less like advice than it probably should have. Shego picked up the book and moved to one of the chairs and continued paging through it. A minute later something caught her eye but it wasn't the billboard advertisement.

The reduced picture was hard to be sure, but as Shego squinted and brought the book up to her face she could swear that the movie poster she was looking at had a twenty-year-old Bonnie Rockwaller in it, Kimmie's high school friend. Shego checked the date on the advertisement which put it at last year. The Bonnie in this universe should be in her forties like Kim, how was a twenty-year-old in this picture? Did this world have some sort of miracle reverse-aging crème or something? That might explain Bonnie but not the Shego of this world, who did not look anything like sixteen.

Shego filed the matter in her mind and continued looking through the book. A few pages later she found what she was looking for, the 'Cassiopeia' ad. The information on the side was sparse and listed a modeling agency, contact information for the company that makes Cassiopeia, and a date of the first placement of the advertisement. The model's name was not listed, much to Shego's annoyance.

She started to close the book to return it to the desk when she hesitated. Something was bothering her and she decided to look through the rest of the book in case something else caught her eye.

Twenty minutes later she'd gone through the whole book and no less than twelve pictures confused her. Six were all (she believed) shots of the same teenaged Shego model she'd seen earlier. But then she found two more Bonnie shots, a decidedly out of place non-monkeyfied Monty Fiske in an ad for a TV series on South African archeology, one of Kim's brothers aged about 14 in an ad for Upperton University and again in his twenties for a computer repair store, both of which were made within a year of each other.

Shego closed the book and frowned. Her confusion was starting to subside as an explanation rose to the surface of her mind. She didn't need to find the model at all, there was someone else who would have the answers she needed, someone she already had access to.

In a flash, Shego realized her counterpart had already confirmed her theory. In discussion last night, she'd mentioned the existence of _Wades_.

--

Dr. Kim Possible was checking in on their newest patient when she heard the knock behind her. Startled, she turned just in time to see the figure in an expensive gray suit dart from the doorway and grab for her. Instincts taking over, Kim spun and swung out to use the attackers momentum against them and fling them towards the empty bed. It was a good gambit but the attacker knew her too well and had anticipated the move by adjusting his approach so that when she tried to spin to the side, she actually landed right in his arms.

With flowing gracefulness, the attacker pitched to the side and swung his weight to throw Kim off her feet and pushed her onto the bed, holding her down with his weight and looking right into her eyes.

Dr. Kim looked up and sighed. "You've still got it, handsome," she said. She raised her head slightly and kissed the man gently on the lips. After a second she broke the kiss and looked into his blue eyes. "Were you worried?"

"Worried? Me?" said Ron Stoppable with a grin. "Nah, you know as long as it's not a monkey, clown, has fur, four legs, two legs, an exoskeleton or a spine I'm smooth sailing."

Dr. Kim rolled her eyes. "My hero," she said sarcastically.

Ron kissed her on the nose. "That was always more your department," he said. He rolled off of Kim and helped her back to her feet. "Though to be serious, I am concerned that somehow Will thinks we've got some magic power that is going to counteract the fact that we've been out of practice for like, forever."

"I wasn't terribly happy with his plan either," said Dr. Kim, straightening her lab coat. "At least Shego's still in the game."

"Yes, sometimes I wonder if that meteor gave her endless energy," said Ron.

"She looks better than I do," grumbled Kim. "And she's six years older than me."

"Nah, you still look as young as the day ... um... well, you don't look _that_ young," mused Ron.

"Jeeze, thank Ron," Dr. Kim said, annoyed.

"N-no, wait!" stammered Ron. "I-I mean, you do look young, I was just-- I was going to say 'young as the day we met' but, you know, we met in kindergarten and you definitely look older than... I mean-- you look older than our kids, is what I'm saying... but that not that... much... older." Ron trailed off into gibbering.

Kim's frown faded as she looked upon Ron's adorable mental scrambling. He was now talking himself into circles about age and time paradoxes and various other random things from TV. In the years since she and Ron were in school there had definitely developed a 'new' Ron that was more mature, calm, collected, and responsible. Kim was definitely proud of this Ron because he was great with the kids, excellent at his job, and someone she could rely upon when her work was overwhelming her. But she fell in love with the old Ron, the goofy guy in high school who could not prioritize his day but never failed in his duty as a friend, so seeing him emerge every now and then warmed her heart in a way nobody who didn't love him like she did could understand.

"Ron," Kim interrupted his jumbled thoughts. She smiled at him widely. "It's okay."

"Uh, yeah," Ron managed. "Sorry."

"I hope you don't fall apart like that when on the floor, Congressman," Kim teased.

"Only when we're debating bills about my personal life," said Ron. "Which has yet to happen so I'm probably fine."

Kim stepped up to Ron and pressed herself against him, looking up into his face. "Well, maybe we should practice more so you'll be ready next time."

Ron gently reached down and embraced Kim again, kissing her gently for a few seconds. They held each other for a few seconds more, just savoring each other's presence, before Ron finally broken the silence.

"So, who's our new guest?" he asked, looking at the sleeping form on the other bed.

Kim gently slipped from Ron's grip and turned to look at the girl. "We're not sure yet. She's been unconscious pretty much the entire time she's been here. We're not even sure what happened to her world."

"New branch?" asked Ron.

"Yeah," nodded Kim.

"Is this related to the Grand Commander?"

Kim hesitated then shrugged. "I'm not sure, I don't think so. He should still be behind the barrier so he couldn't have done this."

"Assuming the barrier still works," noted Ron. "It broke once already."

"Lets hope it's working this time... for everyone's sake," said Kim, darkly.

Ron shook his head. "You know, after twenty years of this it's really hard to keep looking over our shoulder for the phantom of the Director Wars."

"Just because time has passed, doesn't mean the threat is gone, Ron," said Kim. "We don't know what triggered it or when it started, only that it happened once and we can't let it happen again."

"'Or the whole multiverse is at risk,'" said Ron. "I know the official line as well as you do, I've just come to doubt anything we do in our little piece of the multiverse can really impact the infinitely large parts of the 'verse we can't get to."

"Does it have to?" frowned Kim. "Isn't it enough to be vigilant to save our world?"

Ron looked to the side. "Of course it is," he said. "I just wonder if we've crippled a world based on the possibly delirious ravings of a dying woman, even if she was a Kim Possible."

"We can never know for sure, you know that," said Kim.

"I know," nodded Ron. "All I'm saying is that if we're going to do something, let's do it because we believe it's right, not because we've heard tales of the boogeyman in our youth."

"It's better to be safe than sorry," said Kim.

"There is such a thing as too safe, though," pointed out Ron.

--

Will Du looked at the tall pile of papers on his desk. He was certain that he had signed off on a work order to make the Agency paperless. That had to be at least five years ago. Why was he still inundated with paper? Money was spent. Technology was installed. Staff was hired. Training was performed. Migration processes were checked and double checked. _Why_ was he _still_ receiving paper reports? Something had gone terribly wrong.

He missed Vicki, his assistant. He'd voluntarily given her up to the research department when she completed her graduate degree, no longer feeling comfortable keeping such a talented woman in a role little better than a glorified butler. He never got around to replacing her because he felt he could handle it on his own and, privately, he doubted anyone could ever match her ability. Since then he'd never known a quiet day as the work continued to build up and it took him all his time just to keep it at manageable levels.

Sighing, Will shook his thoughts of the past from his mind and picked up the top folder on the pile of papers. It was a report on P9X-766, one of the off-world mineral mining facilities showing production levels dropping steadily as the vein narrowed. Pretty soon it wouldn't be worth the power consumption opening the gate to get workers and materials back and forth and it would go back onto the list of 'uninhabited, no-return-team' worlds.

Will flipped to the last page and signed the report, acknowledging he'd read it, and tossed it into his filing box for records to pick up later.

He grabbed the next folder and started to open it when he heard his office door open. He looked up to see Shego -- the one who'd arrived recently with Kim -- walking up to his desk. He pushed the folder to the side and folded his hands calmly.

"Shego," Will said. "I don't think we've met face to face yet since you arrived. I'm Will Du. I keep track of things around here." He smiled slightly, and hoped his casual demeanor and speech would avoid the typical Shego-type reaction of--

"It said that on the door, genius," Shego replied. So much for trying to avoid her tendencies for conflict.

"So you say," nodded Will, dropping the veneer and deciding to deal with her in a straightforward manner. "Then you must realize I'm very busy."

"Well you yanked us out of the world we were in to bring us here, so I imagine you'll make some time for me," said Shego.

"Well, then, what can I do for you?"

"You let people stay here, don't you?" Shego said more than asked.

Will nodded slightly. "If by 'stay here' you mean we have some permanent off-world guests, then yes, that is true. It's all voluntary; we don't have any prisoners in this reality."

"Why would people stay?" asked Shego. "Especially people like me, or Bonnie, or Kim's brothers. People with lives on their home worlds."

"Not all of them, or you, do," said Will. "Just as some of you might die or turn evil or good, some versions of you and the people you know are ... for lack of a better term, 'normal.'"

"If they're so normal, how do they end up here?" asked Shego pointedly.

Will made a half-smile. "Well, you've got me there. It would be odd for us to have guests who aren't involved in their world's trans-dimensional affairs. Though there are more than a few exceptions."

"How many people are here, then?"

"Hard to say." Will shrugged and looked up and to the side for a moment. "Probably over a hundred, maybe two."

"Holy..." said Shego, stunned.

"They're not all from different worlds," explained Will. "Sometimes we bring people here in groups as... refugees."

"Refugees? How do you hide so many people?"

"A variety of ways," said Will. "I really can't go into specifics, but I'm assuming you've already run into a few which is why you're coming directly to me. We give them new names, identities, and let them find news lives for themselves."

"You watch them?" asked Shego.

"For a while," nodded Will. "Once we know they're adapting well we just do periodic check-ups, make sure they're not in any trouble. All things considered it's a step above witness protection."

"That's hardly a pleasant comparison," said Shego.

"No, but I'm trying to get you to understand. We aren't kidnapping, we aren't forcing people, we're just taking care of the people who fall into our hands."

Shego frowned and looked away. "Like me and Kim."

"Yes," said Will. "Though you two are easy. A simple gate opener and you're on your way again. We've just been busy and it's taking us a few days to make one for you."

Shego sighed and walked slowly towards one of the walls of the office. There was a long, wooden filing cabinet against one wall, covered with strange gadgets gathering dust, a few pictures, and some papers that seemed to have spilled over from the desk. She idly looked at the unkempt trinkets. "What if..." she started then trailed.

Will focused more of his attention on Shego now. Her demeanor had suddenly changed, she almost seemed vulnerable. She hadn't come to be a trouble maker, there was honestly something on her mind. He stood and suddenly felt guilty for not greeting her properly when she came in. He came over to stand a short distance behind her.

"Why don't you have a seat?" he said and motioned to the couch near the center of the office. "Would you like some coffee or water?"

Shego picked up a strange spherical device and turned it over in her hands. "No," she said simply.

Will nodded silently then moved over to the couch and sat on one side. He wondered if she needed to see him sit first before she would relax but, knowing Shego types like he did, he imagined she needed the standing advantage to feel in control.

"The world," Shego started and stopped in short succession. She turned and leaned against the cabinet while holding the sphere in her hands. "Doesn't anyone notice there's a bunch of clones walking around?"

"Not really," said Will. "There's a fairly common axiom about being one in a million. That's pretty much all the uniqueness most people desire. Three or four duplicates amongst a population of 400 million people in the US aren't a big deal. And Shegos tend to go to the Middle East."

"My father was Jordanian," said Shego. "I've often wondered about going there."

"Apparently many of your counterparts in other worlds have thought the same thing," said Will.

Shego nodded and walked slowly back towards Will's desk, and put her hands on the edge of the desk, staring off through the window behind his desk at the IDM slowly spinning in the room beyond. Will watched her quietly and waited.

"What if..." started Shego. She turned her head slightly to the side but didn't look at Will. "What if I wanted to stay?"

Will let her words hang for a moment before responding. "There's paperwork involved, and some profiling, but, if it's what you want, you'd be welcome to. I have to ask, though, why?"

Shego turned the rest of the way and leaned slightly back against the corner of Will's desk. "I'm... not interested in going through any more of this. It's not worth it."

"The traveling?" prompted Will.

"Any of it," Shego said sternly. "The annoying trips through the void, the worlds where we have no idea what's going on or what the rules are, the people..." she trailed off suddenly, nearly frozen in place. She seemed to be struggling to articulate her words. After a minute she breathed out slowly and continued. "Watching people with my face make the same mistakes over and over again. It's Hell, being reminded of my failures over and over again, and there's nothing waiting for me in our damn world that is worth putting up with that."

Will considered what she said as he gently tapped his fingertips together in succession. "You've been to several other worlds now," he said slowly. "You could have stayed in any of them. Why here?"

Shego looked slightly annoyed. "Is this part of your profiling?"

"It contributes," nodded Will. "It's not an easy or cheap process to make up records for someone who comes from off-world. I would like to get some sort of understanding as to what you like about this world and whether it will be worth the effort to naturalize you."

"Hmph," grumbled Shego, putting the device down on Will's desk. "Forget it." She started heading for the door.

"Wait!" Will called out before she left. Shego went to the door but slowed and turned back before leaving. Will stood to face her but didn't approach. "I may not have phrased that properly. It's not a cost benefit ratio, I just want to know if you really want to stay or if you just want a break. We can work out an arrangement either way."

Shego sighed and looked Will in the eye. "I want to be a better person," she said slowly.

"That's certainly an admirable goal," nodded Will.

"But in that last world... I think I... influenced a suggestible AI into becoming our enemy." Shego looked away. "I didn't even mean to, I was just being myself and talking about bucking the system and..." She trailed off and looked silently at the wall."

"Shego," said Will quietly.

She turned her head rapidly back to look at Will. "I'm making it harder for her... putting her in danger she'd be able to otherwise avoid." Shego shook her head. "It's safer for Kim if I stay here."

"Is that what Kim wants?" asked Will.

"She's gotta be sick of it by now," said Shego. "But she'd never say it."

"Maybe she's not sick of it then?" suggested Will.

"Dammit," Shego said loudly. "I'm trying to do the right thing, be the better person. Kim has a better chance of finding the drill and getting home without me. Besides... I kind of owe her one. It makes sense for me to stay behind."

"And if she finds the drill and can get home?" asked Will. "What then?"

"She should use it," said Shego. "There's nothing for me back home, it doesn't matter if I stay here."

Will looked down for a second then up to face Shego again. "I think you should talk this over with Kim," he said. "But, you're your own person, so I won't press the matter. I'll start preparing the forms for naturalization. I'll let you know when they're ready."

Shego released her held breath and nodded. Without a word, she exited the room. Will watched after her and sighed.

--

Kim woke to the feeling of someone else in her room and she bolted upright, blinking rapidly, trying to focus on the other figure walking through the bedroom.

"Easy, Princess," Shego said walking slowly over to the second bed and collapsing into it.

"Shego?" asked Kim as the young woman in black and green came gradually into focus. Her long dark hair was spread out over her head and the bed as she laid face down in the comforter.

"Nnng," was the reply.

"You alright?"

"Meh."

Kim rubbed her eyes and yawned, lying back down on the bed. "Did you get along with Shego?"

Shego picked her head up and looked at Kim through the curtain of hair over her face.

"The other Shego," added Kim.

Shego put her head back down again but turned it to the side so she could look at Kim. "Not really," she said softly.

"Sorry," said Kim. "We'll get going as soon as Will gets us a new TDF, okay?"

"Don't worry about me," said Shego, closing her eyes.

"Don't let her get to you. This place is a little weird."

"It's not her," grumbled Shego. "It's... nothing."

Kim frowned and sat up again, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "Is everything alright, Shego?"

Shego gave Kim a glare. "No, it's not. But that isn't exactly a change of pace from the last few weeks, now is it? Or were you confused at my reaction to being tortured for hours on end until I was an inch away from the end of my life? Or at being unintentionally exiled from our world? Or being kidnapped and held prisoner by a self-aggrandizing _nerdlinger_?"

Shego pushed herself upright again. "Me. **I** was kidnapped. And held ransom. And was rescued by _you_. That is not at all the relationship we're supposed to have, _Pumpkin_. I am not your sidekick. I am not some substitute for the buffoon, and I am not one of your pathetic hanger-ons. I am _not_ supposed to be rescued by you. So, no, to answer the question, everything is not 'alright.'"

Kim froze, stunned into silence by Shego's sudden outburst. She tried to look Shego in the eyes but found it awkward and after a moment, she looked away.

"I ... didn't mean to--" started Kim, but Shego cut her off.

"No, of course you didn't! You never _mean_ to--" Shego stopped herself and breathed deliberately. She then stood and quietly left the room.

Kim fell back onto the bed and sighed. A few minutes later she heard the sounds of Shego rooting around in the kitchenette, clinking glasses and the opening and shutting of the fridge. Then stomping feet and the opening and shutting of the apartment door.

--

Shego walked swiftly back out of the building where the hotel-like apartment had been set up, across the sky bridge to the embarkation building. It was the late afternoon and the sun hung low in the sky, bathing the Agency campus in reds and browns. She slowed her pace and gazed at the ground stretching into the infinite vista. Behind her the sky would be getting dark and the lights from the buildings downtown would glow like a hundred eyes peering from the twilight. Shego didn't bother to look.

With a slow breath, she stopped the endless stream of profanity running through her mind with a single thought: it wasn't Kim's fault. While Shego had needed less than a justified reason to blame others for her problems, the fact was that Kim was going through the same nightmare she was. They were both exiled from home. They were both being tortured by seeing the consequences of their choices marched before them. But for some reason, Kim was taking it better, enduring without as much complaint, and that made Shego angry.

It wasn't fair, but Shego cared little for that distinction. What she did care about was that it was distracting her. She had intended to tell Kim her decision to stay and for some reason, seeing her acting normal as if this was some sort of day trip instead of a twisted twilight zone version of reality, just made her see red. She couldn't possibly be enjoying this endless trip, so why couldn't she just drop the prim-and-proper act?

_Because I'm a hero_, Shego almost heard Kim's voice reply. _If I let it get to me, I won't be able to help everyone in the whole world twice over like the prissy princess I am. By the way, have I told you that all the world is filled with good people but some are just a teensy bit misunderstood?_

Shego smiled slightly at her caricature of Kim then shook her head. When did she turn into the brooding anti-hero? Being around her feel-good, go lucky counterpart from this world was a bad idea. It reminded her of several things she disliked about Kim except it was ten times worse seeing it in herself.

And maybe another ten times worse after that because she could understand why she became that way.

Turning away from the sunset, Shego moved swiftly the rest of the way across the skybridge and into the medical bay of the embarkation building. The sterile white halls and fluorescent lights were a striking difference from the burnt orange glow form the sunset. She squinted for a second to help her eyes adjust, then continued towards the staircase leading down to the ground floor.

She got halfway around the curve of the hall in the medical bay before she saw a head of messy red hair peek its way out of one of the recovery rooms. Shego frowned and slowed her pace, looking at the mop of hair as she approached. Before she reached the doorway she was looking out of the rest of the figure emerged from the doorway and looked around, eventually turning to see Shego.

As she guessed from the hair, the girl was a version of Kim, maybe sixteen years old, though she looked slightly frail beneath her hospital gown. Her hair was unkempt and her face was roughed up but healing. Her bold green eyes shined the same as any Kim Possible Shego had ever seen and she locked onto Shego's own pair of emeralds.

Immediately the Kim looked scared and retreated slightly back into the room, but left her head out to stare at Shego. She pulled at her hair absently, raking it with her hand like a heavy bristled comb to try to calm the tangled mess. Finally she licked her chapped lips slightly and slowly opened her mouth.

"Hello," the girl said in a raspy voice that sounded far from Kim's typical lyrical notes.

Shego stopped a few paces away from the Kim and looked at her skeptically. "Hey," she said in reply.

"Where am I?" asked the girl.

Shego sighed. This was not her job. She did not work here and she did not care how they treated their 'refugees.' "This is the Agency," she said instead. "It's... complicated."

"Oh," said the girl. "Are you..."

"Shego," said Shego. "I guess you're Kimmie."

The girl shook her head. Shego blinked in surprise. "No?"

"Everyone calls me Cassie," said the girl.

"Cassie, huh?" asked Shego. She looked at the girl questionably. She looked like a Kim, but Shego supposed that of all the differences they'd seen across the worlds a name was hardly the biggest change. "So where are you from?"

"Middleton," said Cassie.

"Well, yeah, I know, but..." Shego realized she had no frame of reference to even begin this conversation. "Alright, well, whatever. Just hang around; someone will come for you soon. See you later."

Shego waved and started heading for the stairs again. Less than a dozen steps later, however, she felt something grab her arm. She stopped and looked down to see the girl holding gently onto her.

"What?" asked Shego.

"You're the only person I've seen in over a week," said Cassie. She gently let her hand slide off of Shego's arm. "Can you... stay around, just a little while, until someone else comes?"

Shego looked into Cassie's eyes. This wasn't her responsibility. She didn't work for the Agency and she sure as hell didn't care for the mental well being of some version of Kim Possible, regardless of what trauma she may have gone through. She was Shego. She was a villain. She did evil and she was proud of it. Proud! Even if it could end in her death. Even if it could end in the destruction of the world. Even if she dragged all of Middleton into misery and tragedy. This was _who she was_. And she liked who she was, right? Right!?

"Okay," Shego said quietly.

--

Dr. Kim burst into Will's office in a bit of a huff and strode right up to his desk. He, in turn, looked up slowly from his pile of paper and blinked. "I have a phone, you know," he said.

"You never answer it," said Dr. Kim dismissively. "The new Kim Possible is missing."

"Missing?" asked Will, straightening. "Stolen or walked away?"

"Probably walked away," said Dr. Kim. "Can you put the word out that we're looking for her and get someone to check the security cameras?"

Will tapped a panel on his desk causing it to light up beneath the avalanche of paperwork. He pushed a few folders to the side and typed directly on the surface causing a square of information to appear. "Sixty-five... thirty-two?"

"Sixty-five sixty-five," corrected Dr. Kim.

Will nodded and typed again causing the window to vanish. He looked up. "Security will look for her. Go down to the station outside the IDM room and check the logs to find her."

"Thank you," nodded Dr. Kim. She started to turn to leave but paused, looking at the pile of work on Will's desk. "Are you going to get another assistant any time soon?"

"It's on my list of to-do's," Will shook his head.

"Where's that in your inbox?"

"Somewhere near the bottom." He looked at the stack of folders. "I think."

Dr. Kim smiled and looked kindly down at Will. "It was a nice thing you did for Vicki, but nobody is going to think you're tarnishing her reputation if you find someone new."

"I don't have the time to train anyone," Will said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"You never will until you get a new assistant," said Dr. Kim. "I'll talk to HR and set up some interviews for you."

"Kim..." warned Will.

"With your permission, of course," Dr. Kim said sweetly.

Will sighed. "All right. Just find that patient first."

Kim nodded and walked swiftly out of the office leaving Will to his paperwork. He buckled down again to read the open folder in front of him but only three minutes later his door opened again. This time Dr. Kleiner came in, flanked by two Wades in lab coats. One was about sixteen, the other twenty. Will struggled to remember their names. That was the problem with having so many people with the same face around, it was impossible to tell people apart.

"Gentlemen," Will said, aiming for ambiguity. "What brings you up here today?"

"We have a theory on the attack," said Dr. Kleiner.

"The 'supposed' attack," added the twenty-year old Wade on Kleiner's left.

"Right, the supposed attack," amended Kleiner. "Well, it was definitely an attack, just not an attack on us, per se, unless we're misinterpreting the diffusion, which is definitely--"

"Doctor," interrupted Will, fighting off a headache by now. "Why not just tell me what's going on?"

"Right," nodded Dr. Kleiner. He pulled out a folder from under his arm and laid it out on top of Will's desk. Will looked at it and sighed quietly. More clutter, more paper.

"The initial conclusion was that it was some sort of wide area attack or directed void explosion that caused the sudden burst of void particles into our reality." Dr. Kleiner opened the envelope and showed the BODAR imagery from the prior day. "Most of those assumptions were based on the conical shape of the trail left in the void. A large volume of void particles flew from the east of the axis, and struck this first world then ours."

"Okay," nodded Will. "Makes sense."

"We thought so too," said the sixteen year old Wade on Kleiner's right. He went by the name 'Spyre,' if Will recalled properly. He still couldn't remember the other Wade's chosen name. "But then the research team that went to 616 -- the branch of 399 caused by the event -- took additional BODAR readings and we noticed that it wasn't a cone shaped trail at all. It was actually two crossing beams."

The Wade named Spyre turned the page in the folder and showed a high resolution BODAR scan that showed the cone to be two solid lines with some cross-bleed that made it look like a single conical shape. Will shook his head. "Okay, but what would that mean? Two beams would have to come from two sources, and that means two worlds working in sync. That's cross-dimensional communication, it's not possible."

"It may be possible," said the older Wade. "We just haven't seen anything do it yet."

"Until now," said Dr. Kleiner.

Will stared at the two beams spreading out like a wedge, hitting 399 and then continuing on to nick the edges of their own world. He traced the lines back and noted that they crossed over another dimension.

"Wait, this wasn't an attack on either of us it was on this world here," said Will. "We just got caught in the crossfire. Do we know where the beams originated?"

"It's outside our BODAR range," said Spyre. "We'd have to get closer and set up our scanning equipment, maybe P3X-840 or 861." He paused and looked over at the other Wade for a moment. "Or..."

Will waited a second. "'Or' what?"

The older Wade smiled slightly. "We could use the Argo."

Will's eyes widened. "It's ready?"

"Almost," said Spyre. "We still need to find or make a dimensional core for it. I'm hoping we find one in the ruins of 616 and then we'll be good to go."

"But we can push it into the void without one," said the other Wade. "We can use the IDM to send it out, then use the BODAR on the Argo to scan further into the multiverse. Without our own branches getting in the way we should have a much further imaging radius."

"But the ship will be stranded there," said Will.

"Well, until we get a core, yes, but we could still travel back and forth from it."

Will considered the prospect as he stared at the BODAR imagery showing the two beams. He looked closer at the picture where the beams intersect. "What's this world?" asked Will pointing at the dimension where the beams crossed.

"P3X..." Dr. Kleiner turned the image over and looked at the naming list. "111."

Will froze. He looked up at the three. "P3X-111?" he said with a hollow voice.

"Yes," nodded Kleiner, pointing at the serial number. "It's a branch of--"

"I know what it's a branch of," Will cut him off. "It's the Grand Commander's reality."

Kleiner frowned. "No, that's P3X-233. This is just an uninhabited, mineral depleted world."

Will stared at Dr. Kleiner. "The computers have filters in place to obscure the identifier for the Grand Commander's world so nobody can even try to go there intentionally. I'm the only one who knows its real identifier." He looked down at the image again then snapped his head back up. "Go back down to the IDM room and set us at full readiness. We're doubling the compliment of agents in the gate room."

"Y-yes sir," said Dr. Kleiner who stumbled over himself to rush for the doors.

The older Wade looked awkwardly between the departing Doctor and Spyre. "About the Argo--"

"No time now," said Will curtly. "We need to make sure the Grand Commander is still locked up. We'll talk about Argo later."

The Wades looked disappointed but reluctantly turned and headed for the door. After they were gone, Will pushed a pile of folders off his desk and began typing furiously on the virtual keyboard beneath them.

--

"So where are you from?" asked Cassie as she put a piece of pancake in her mouth and chewed.

Shego considered what to say. She and Cassie had gone to the Agency's cafeteria get some dinner but the Kimmie-clone wanted pancakes. She said that after so long eating scraps, she wanted something she loved. Fortunately the cook on the line didn't complain and quickly whipped up a batch of pancakes from the next morning's supplies. Shego indulged as well, seeing as the pancakes were already being made and... well, there was nothing wrong with pancakes.

"It's complicated," said Shego, falling back on her old standby.

"You said that already," said Cassie, pointing with her fork. "Are you going to have more bacon?"

Shego shook her head and watched as Cassie indulged. It was sort of cute, the way she was so eager to eat, like a child of much younger years. She figured anyone would be like her if they'd been nearly starved for a week, but it still was somewhat adorable.

"I've been around," Shego finally said. "Kimmie and I have been, anyway."

"Kimmie?" asked Cassie.

"She was traveling with me. She looks like you, only a year or so older." Shego folded her arms and leaned back. "We were accidentally thrown out of our world and have been trying to get back."

"Oh," Cassie paused in her eating. "Can't they do anything for you here? They seem to have a handle on this world traveling stuff."

"We're too far from home," said Shego. "They can't find our world on their maps. It doesn't matter, though."

"Why not?" asked Cassie.

Shego put on a small smile. Her problems were her problems, she wouldn't bother this girl with them. "It's not that bad out here," she lied. "I'm in no rush to get back." With a whimsical shrug she looked down at Cassie.

Cassie looked back silently.

"What?" asked Shego with a raised brow. Cassie just looked down, returning to her food and poking at her pancakes for a minute. "What is it?"

"You don't have to act so tough. You know?" said Cassie, cutting up the last pancake. "It could be worse."

"How?" asked Shego.

"You might not have a home anymore to return to," said the girl. Her voice seemed distant.

"Cassie..." Shego started but was interrupted.

"I'm alright." The girl looked up at Shego then and the latter could see the slight wetness around her eyes. "I'm alive," she said with a slight lift in her voice. "So are you."

Shego stared. "You're a brave kid," said Shego, finally. "Braver than I thought possible." They said nothing for almost a minute, just staring at each other.

Finally, Shego returned to business. "Finish up your food, we need to go see Will about getting a room for you."

--

The elder Shego, Dr. Kim, Senator Stoppable, Administrator Du, and Gordon with the rest of Team Three stood in Will's office looking ominously between him and the pulsating IDM beyond the glass window behind him. Technically only Shego, Kim, and Ron could fit in the office in front of Will's desk, but Gordon stood in the doorway and the rest of Team Three was in the lounge area in front of the glass door.

"We need to push up our plans a little," said Will after everyone settled.

"I knew you were going to say that," said Dr. Kim, shaking her head. "What happened to schedules and timing?"

"Hey, it's fine with me," said Shego. "A little randomness will hopefully keep the old GC off his guard."

"If he's loose, he could be ready for anything, it might be better we hold back and prepare more," said Ron. "Get a bigger team maybe."

"I doubt that's an option now, given the situation," said Will. "If what we've seen is right, then it's likely that one of the realities just outside our reach has developed a 'cross-dimensional radio', for lack of a better term. They've apparently used this radio to stage a jailbreak."

"The barrier?" asked Dr. Kim.

"We sent out a carrier check not too long ago," said Will. "There was no response from the barrier around P3X-233. It's either down or so weak we're barely getting any readings. Either way it means he's got the ability to travel and if the coordinated attack is any sign, he's got friends."

"Do you think he can trace us here?" asked Shego.

"The Kim and Shego we pulled out of 233 before we restored the barrier didn't have a lot of useful information as far as his technological growth is concerned. That being said, without any void particles to use as reference before now I find it hard to believe they'd even understand a void bridge trail let alone follow one." Will tilted his head down. "Now his allies could be another story altogether."

"Which is definitely why we should delay," said Ron. "If he's got the chance of a pseudo army out there we need to make sure we understand what we're getting into."

"No, we should go now," said Shego. "Before he learns too much from his new friends. He shouldn't have a suitable singularity this soon to anchor incoming gates, which means we stand the best chance of arriving outside of his sight."

"Not for long," said Kim. "Kim said that they had an ability to track travelers, which is how they found her and Shego."

"How?" asked Shego quickly.

"I'm not sure," shrugged Kim. "Maybe residual void particles from the--"

"Hang on," Ron interrupted loudly. Everyone turned to look at him. "We're getting ahead of ourselves. I don't think you've considered all angles of this."

"I know you've been out of the game for a while, Stoppable," said Shego. "But you don't need to panic."

Ron ignored her and looked directly at Will. "What do you intend us to do if we're found?"

"Get away," said Will simply.

"You're dodging the question," Ron shook his head. "What do we tell him? Why are we there? What message is he supposed to get if he discovers we're trying to spy on him?"

"Don't say anything," said Will, shrugging.

"Dammit, Will!" Ron said angrily. "Listen to me. I'm not a field agent anymore but I'm an expert at shoveling and understanding other people's bullshit. What do you think the Grand Commander will think if finds spies?"

Will paused for a second. "That we're worried about him."

"Right," nodded Ron. "Now, what will THAT mean to him?"

"That he's a person worth worrying about," said Will. "Which will either make him bold, or make him scared."

"Both of which will result in _action_," said Ron. "You know that, as a soldier, you know that fear and power motivate people to action. So if he takes action, what do we do? Tell him to stop?"

Will furrowed his brow and grimaced. "And if he doesn't stop on his own, we have to stop him."

"Which means a war," Ron said. "And if you think the US government has been a pain before, just wait until they find out you're starting a war, on your own, that nobody but a handful of congressmen and the president's staff knows about, and could result in the destruction of the world."

Will slowly turned his chair around and looked out the glass to the IDM. He sighed slowly after a minute. "No matter what political garbage gets dumped on us, we can't let the Grand Commander run wild. Eventually it will come back to us, even if he doesn't realize we're watching him."

Ron nodded. "I agree, actually," he said. "But, give me time to fly to DC and talk to the President. I can even get us military support so if things turn bad we have the men to fight the Grand Commander off."

"We don't need G-Men snooping around and setting up shop here," Shego said, irritated.

"No, he's right," said Will. "We'll need the military's support if this gets out of hand."

"We've done fine without them for twenty years!" Shego yelled. "We've fought fights out there, big ones, and we've never gone crawling back to the Man for help."

"Shego..." Kim said wearily.

"The Grand Commander has always been the greater threat," said Will. "And probably the only one we know what we're getting into with."

"Bullshit!" snapped Shego. "According to Kim he's a kid with a god complex. We've built him up to be some grand evil because of what that dying Kim told us fifteen years ago, but all we have is her word that it is going to happen. We don't even know if she did time travel, she could just have been crazy."

"Shego--" Ron started to warn her.

"No, it's true," said Will. "We don't have much proof that the Grand Commander is as great a threat as we've heard." He spun around to face everyone again. "But he could be. And managing our interactions with him is the best way to keep him from becoming one. I can't fault Ron for wanting to be careful. And I don't blame you, Shego, for believing he's not the threat we've built him up to be."

Will folded hands on his desk. "But the truth is everything we've heard from the Kim and Shego who went to that world points to the Grand Commander being not only dangerous, but well equipped and frighteningly intelligent. Look, it's only been two days our time since we put the barrier back up and he's already found a way to break it."

"With help," added Shego.

"Yes, with help, but how did he even get that help?" asked Will. "No, he's dangerous. Dangerous enough that we shouldn't take any risks." He looked up at Ron. "Go to the President, find out what he says."

"Okay," nodded Ron.

"This is bullshit!" Shego said again loudly and pushed through the crowd in the office to leave. Will watched her go with sympathy. Ron just shook his head.

"She's regressing in her old age," he muttered.

"Ron," started Will.

"Come on, she thinks she can take on the world on her own, what kind of attitude is that?" asked Ron.

"Ron, she doesn't want to do everything herself," Will explained. "But she wants to be involved. She wants to help." Will looked to the side. "If the government becomes involved in the Agency... they're not going to let her, a former criminal, be involved anymore. She'll be shut out."

Ron opened his mouth but then paused as the anger drained out of him. He turned to look back but Shego was already gone.

--

Shego and Cassie were approaching Will's outer office when the doors opened and a deluge of people walked out. First a series of agents dressed up as soldiers filed out followed by a man in a white labcoat, and finally Dr. Kim and Ron. The bulk of the group ignored Shego and Cassie's presence but Dr. Kim immediately lit up upon seeing them and rushed over.

"There you are!" said Dr. Kim suddenly and rushed to stand in front of Cassie, looking at her none too discreetly.

"She was hungry," Shego offered simply then shook her head. She wasn't sure why she said that, she could care less about the concerns of the doctor.

"Are you alright?" asked Dr. Kim directly to the girl. She bent slightly and gently took Cassie's arm to feel her pulse. Ron came up behind her and smiled warmly at the girl.

Cassie seemed to consider the question for a second and shrugged. Kim checked her watch then nodded to herself and stood. "I hope you didn't eat too much," Kim said in a gently scolding tone. "Given your condition when we found you, your body is not going to be able to handle a sudden huge amount of food."

"Give her a break, dear," said Ron, patting his wife on the arm. "She probably hadn't eaten in days."

"She controlled herself," Shego offered, again unintentionally.

After a few seconds of silence Dr. Kim looked between Shego and Cassie. "Does she talk?" Dr. Kim asked frankly to Shego.

"Occasionally," said Shego, again shrugging. "Her name is Cassie."

"Nice to meet you, Cassie," said Dr. Kim. "If you're feeling up to it, I'd like to ask you a few questions about what happened to you and your home."

"Okay," nodded Cassie.

"Great," said Shego. "Have fun." She turned to head back towards the stairs. She didn't get more than a step away before someone grabbed her arm. She paused and looked back to see Cassie holding her wrist and looked up at her expectantly.

"What?" asked Shego. Cassie looked slowly over at Dr. Kim and Ron, then over at Shego again. Her face had a look of skepticism on it. Shego could hardly say she didn't sympathize. "You can go with them, they're good people," she said instead.

Cassie arched an eyebrow. Shego felt herself break a small smile at this girl so easily seeing through her. "Seriously, if they were going to do something to anyone, it'd be me. I'm a real trouble maker."

The girl furrowed her brow but smirked.

"Fine," said Shego, letting herself laugh once. She turned back and stood beside Cassie. "It's not like I'm doing anything but killing time here, anyway." She looked up to Dr. Kim and Ron, who were staring at the two of them with puzzled expressions. "What now?" Shego said, frowning.

"Did you two just have a discussion?" asked Kim.

"Without talking?" added Ron.

"I'm pretty sure I was talking there," said Shego. "Maybe you should check your hearing."

Ron blinked. "_You_ were, but she..."

Dr. Kim patted Ron reassuringly on the back then looked to Cassie. "Alright, why don't you come this way," she said and then motioned down the hallway.

--

The elder Shego was pulling her uniform and equipment out of her locker in the prep-room outside the IDM room when she heard the door open and hard heeled shoes go ka-cluck on the concrete floor.

"Go away," Shego said, angrily. She pulled out an empty duffel bag and began shoving her stuff into it roughly.

The ka-clunk continued. Will came around the corner of the lockers and paused when he encountered Shego's glare.

"Not a word," Shego warned, waving a finger at her.

"Let me explain," Will said calmly.

"God dammit, Will!" Shego made a fist with her hand and gritted her teeth in frustration. "I don't want to hear your explanation! I don't want to hear anything but the sound of you turning around and walking out. Right now. Go."

Will stared back. After a second he leaned slightly against the lockers.

Shego slammed her locker shut with enough force to cause the entire row to rattle beneath Will's shoulder leaning against it. "Fine. You stay, I'll go." She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she stormed past the object of her ire.

"I still need you to do something for me," said Will as Shego approached the door.

"Too bad!" Shego called out as she opened the door and swept into the hall. She turned towards the stairs that would take her down the garage level so she could get her bike. She didn't feel like leaving it behind this time.

"Shego!" Will's voice called from behind her, but Shego kept walking. The klup-klup of jogging behind her got closer.

"You know, I'm a pretty dangerous person," said Shego as Will caught up with her. "With hands that can burn as bright as the sun. And a short temper." She paused. "And a history of taking hostages."

"I'll take my chances," said Will, matching Shego's pace.

"You've got a damn death wish," grumbled Shego.

"Just listen to what I have to say," Will said curtly. "You're contractually obligated to while you're in my facility."

"I am not," Shego said defiantly.

"Didn't look at that contract too closely, did you?"

"It doesn't say that," insisted Shego. "I've read it closely."

"We can go check," offered Will. "I've got them all in my office."

Shego looked at him, unfazed. "I get it. Either way I gotta put up with your crap for the next five minutes. So you might as well tell me what you wanted to say."

"Before Ron gets back I want to send you out on a covert operation," said Will.

Shego slowed and turned to face Will. "A 'covert operation'?"

"You and a partner," said Will. "I appreciate Ron's perspective on this matter, and I agree with how the Grand Commander might interpret our presence, but there is another avenue I want to pursue before we've got Uncle Sam breathing down out necks."

"Uncle Sam who you just invited in," said Shego, angrily.

"Get over it already," said Will, dismissively. "If the Grand Commander invades we're going to be much better off with the marines at our backs. But there's something else that's been bothering me about all this."

"Oh, yeah?" Shego said, drolly. "What's that?"

"The two worlds that helped him escape."

Shego frowned. "They're outside our BODAR range."

"That's why I want you to go out to the fringe and gate there," said Will.

"Is the Argo done or something?" asked Shego, confused.

Will shook his head. "Actually, it's an idea I stole from our current guests. A portable gate generator designed to piggy-back on the trail left by a void particle beam."

"You want me to trace one of the beams back to the source," said Shego, furrowing her brow.

"Find out who the Grand Commander coordinated with," said Will. "It'll give us a better picture on what his goals and assets might be, since he probably had to trade something for being set free."

"And you don't want Ron and Kim and the rest of the Agency to know?" asked Shego, surprised.

"It's better in this situation that you act alone," said Will. "It'll be easier for you to move around and easier to deny any connection to us. But I doubt Kim or Ron would like it very much if they knew I sent you out there by yourself, and who knows what the government's opinion on it will be."

Shego sighed and shook her head. "This was all a game to make them think I'm at home sulking, wasn't it?"

"I don't even have to explain why you're not here tomorrow," said Will. "They'll all come up with convincing reasons on their own."

"I think you've studied your enemy too much," said Shego.

"Come on, you know you're the best for this sort of work," said Will.

"Don't flatter me, it just makes this seem more weird." Shego looked down for a few seconds then said softly. "Fine, I'll do it." She looked up. "But I want someone off Team 11."

This time Will was taken aback. "The survey team? Who do you... why do you someone from there?"

"If I'm doing this, I'm doing it my way, no questions."

Will narrowed his eyes slightly but acquiesced. "Fine. Who do you want?"

"Dr. Robin Chen," said Shego quickly.

"Very well." Will reached into her pocket and pulled out a small notepad and a pen, subsequently using the latter with the former. "But if you're using this just as an opportunity to go on a date--"

"Come on, Will," dismissed Shego with a wave of her hand. "Robin was one of Zita's friends."

"Uh-huh," said Will, finishing his note and pushing the notepad back in his pocket. "And how does that statement answer whether or not you're trying to seduce her?"

Shego frowned. "It doesn't. It's supposed to remind you it's none of your business either way."

"Right," said Will. "Departure time is at 4am, between the third and first shift."

Shego nodded. "I'll be back in time," she said. She turned and continued to head towards the garage. This time the sound of Will's boots got softer as it trailed away.

--

Shego, the younger Shego who had arrived several days earlier, laughed.

She wasn't sure why she was laughing, or when it had really started, but here she was, laughing. Out loud. With two versions of Kim Possible around laughing with her. If she had walked in on this scene just an hour earlier she would have been appalled. She might still get appalled later, but right now, oddly, she felt like laughing. How long had been since she felt like that?

Shego swallowed back her giggling long enough to say what was on her mind. "And -- eheh -- _I_, I mean, _your_ Shego, let you get away with that?"

Dr. Kim, who was red in the face both from embarrassment and the mutual laughter, chuckled slightly and shrugged. "Well, Zita and Ron were standing right there. There would be, you know... witnesses." Dr. Kim shook her head. "Though for the next six weeks I kept finding green Jell-O stuffed in the pockets of my lab coat."

Cassie and Shego laughed again as Kim sat there blushing with a smile on her face. They were all in the medical lab while Kim was doing a physical on Cassie to make sure she wasn't suffering any long term effects of her malnutrition. Cassie was sitting up on an exam table while Shego sat on a chair nearby. Kim, between stories, was monitoring a blood sample she was taking from Cassie's right arm that was now almost done.

"How about you Shego?" asked Dr. Kim as the laughed slowed. "Anything interesting happen with you and your Kim?"

"We don't really work together," said Shego. "Well, very frequently, anyway. Most of the time I just have to put up with Drakken. Which is a chore in and of itself, I might add."

"Ah, Drakken," said Kim oddly fondly. "It's been a long time since I've seen him."

"What happened?" asked Cassie, watching as Kim pulled the needle out of her arm and pushed a cotton swab against it to stop the bleeding.

"He left, in a particularly Drakken-esque way," said Kim. "Our Drakken is no longer on this world."

"World as in... planet or world as in...?" prompted Shego.

"He left through a gate," nodded Kim. "We were never able to figure out where to. He had this crazy idea that connecting the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer to a plasma turret would create some sort of gravity gun he could use against us. He accidentally mixed up the wiring in the hovercraft he mounted it on and it ended up being routed through the stereo. It tore open a gate briefly and he sort of dissolved into it before the whole thing exploded." Kim labeled the blood sample she took from Cassie before looking up. "Since his equipment was trashed we couldn't piece it together to trace his path. This was back before BODAR was invented."

Shego blinked in surprise. "Woah."

"Yeah," Kim said slightly sadly. "Didn't mean to ruin the mood. I just hope he made to wherever he was heading."

"No, I mean that same thing happened to me and my Drakken, only it was a TV instead of a radio."

Kim looked at Shego. "He keeps a TV in the hovercraft?"

"No, it was never on a hovercraft, it was just in the lair," said Shego, explaining. "Tried to hook it up but crossed it with a cable line and it created a gate that pulled us into the television."

"Into the television?" asked Cassie.

"Yeah, it was a nightmare," said Shego. "Flipping between insipid programs and reality shows and -- worst of all -- children's programming." She shivered dramatically.

Cassie laughed.

"Were you actually... inside of the TV?" asked Kim.

"I dunno," shrugged Shego. "Some alternate dimension based off the cable signals I think is what Dr. D said it was. It collapsed shortly afterwards and we barely escaped in time. No thanks to _you_. Or, my version of you, anyway."

Dr. Kim was quiet for a moment.

"You don't think he's..."

Shego stared. "You're actually worried about Drakken?" she said, astonished.

"I'm..." Kim hesitated. "I've never wanted anyone to die."

"Well, there are a lot of people who deserve it," Shego said casually. Kim shot her a look in response. "B-but Dr. D is not one of him. I mean, he's a danger to himself and others but ... well, I can't actually say he means good, but lets say not many of the bad things he's done have been permanent."

Dr. Kim sighed.

"Listen, Kimmie," said Shego plainly. "If there has ever been anyone who has the devil's luck when it comes to avoiding death, it's him. I'm sure he found a way to survive."

Dr. Kim nodded then smiled. "You know, it's odd to hear you call me 'Kimmie.'"

"Your Shego doesn't call you that?" asked Shego, surprised.

"No, she does, but she's... you know... older than me," finished Kim.

Shego raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I see," she said knowingly. "It's weird because you've turned into a old lady and I've maintained my youthful vigor and not at all because you think just because you're older than me means you're somehow better."

Kim laughed and shook her head. "Of course, that _must_ be it," she said. She finished labeling the test tube in her hand and then gently patted Cassie on the shoulder. "Okay, we're all set here."

Cassie nodded with a small smile and hopped down from the exam table. She looked up expectantly at Shego.

"I guess we'll see what Will has set up for her," said Shego. "Then maybe I can finally ditch the fan club." She looked down at Cassie with a smug look. Cassie stared back for a second then frowned. Shego rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, come on."

Shego let Cassie out of the examination room leaving Dr. Kim behind to gather up her paperwork.

--

It was clear for anyone to see that Dr. Robin Chen was not field agent material. She was not muscular or even all that athletic. She was slim, but in a somewhat spindly sort of way that seemed to indicate less time at the gym and more time in the lab forgetting to stop for meals. The latter was more or less the case, though thankfully in the last couple years her co-workers had become a little better at reminding her to stop once in a while and eat a power bar. Initially, when Robin had first come to the Agency, they were intimidated by her, and hesitant to remind her of something she had probably already known. But a couple inconvenient fainting spells in the lab had cleared up any confusion. She was the sort of person who forgot basic things like eating when in the thrall of an experiment and any help anyone could give her in remembering was met with gratitude.

The ignoring of basic bodily needs was not Robin's only quirk, and in fact it was probably one of her milder ones. The one that tended to interfere more often in day to day operations in the science labs at the Agency was that people tended to be afraid of her. This fear had nothing to do with her appearance, of course, seeing as few people are scared of beanpoles. It had little to do with Robin's personality either, apart from the mild fear that every time she picked up a beaker she might faint with it still in her hand. And it had next to nothing to do with her position within the Agency, being a third tier analyst and a member of Team 11 meant that only staff researchers reported to her and that was only if she remembered she had a staff.

No, the simple fear that Robin instilled in her co-workers was that after spending a few days with her it became apparent to all of them that they could easily be out of a job. Robin was smart, that much was known, but she was smart in just about every way possible. Math, chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, mechanical engineering, _electrical_ engineering, computers... just about every field that mattered to the Agency apart from diplomacy. She could never be a research team on her own, but it was pretty apparent that she could easily have replaced anyone in the sciences department and probably have done their job a little better than they ever did.

She wasn't an encyclopedia, by any means, rather, she was somewhat forgetful half the time and practically absent the rest. But when she focused on a problem, her mind worked like no other, and she could process data faster than even the Wades. Many of the solutions to technology or analytical issues presented to the sciences department were derived from moments of inspiration that Robin had. She was the shining -- if somewhat wearily watched -- gem of the Agency's sciences department, so when Will came down into the research labs to draft her into a long term off-world mission he was treated only slightly better than a thief breaking into a Zurich bank.

"No."

Will stared. "No?"

"No," reiterated Dr. Vance, a tall, thin black man with graying hair said sternly. He had a black cane in his right hand that he was leaning on and gripping firmly. "You can't have her."

"Oh," said Will, slowly. "Is there a particular reason why not?"

"You don't deserve her," the doctor said plainly.

"Huh," said Will, frowning. "I'm a little confused."

"I'd say."

"I'm still in charge of this Agency, right?" asked Will.

"Do I need to answer that?"

"Not really, this whole line of questioning is just for dramatic effect," admitted Will. "We can skip to the end to save time if you'd like."

"Let's."

"Give me Dr. Robin Chen for this mission," said Will, repeating himself from earlier.

"No," repeated Vance, just as adamantly.

"Now, see, I knew we should have gone through the line of questioning," Will shook his head.

"Robin is a key member of her team," said Vance.

"Which team?" asked Will.

"All of them," nodded Vance.

"I don't think you've set up this department very well," commented Will.

"We let you borrow her for Team 11 activities because you aren't going to find someone better for the survey missions," explained Dr. Vance. "She is, to put it simply, brilliant, and you'll not find someone better."

"I'm somewhat aware of that," said Will.

"She's exactly who you need for your Team 11 missions," said Dr. Vance. "But you don't want her for a Team 11 mission, you want her for a Team 1 mission, and that means front line, firefights, booby traps, and super weapons."

"You know our missions don't typically go like an Indiana Jones movie."

"You're going to put her in danger, Will, and I have to look out for her," said Dr. Vance. "She's not used to being in those situations. I don't think she'll handle it well. You should take a Wade."

Will sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Eli, the short of it is that I can't take a Wade, it's gotta be Robin. So I'm not really giving you much wiggle room here."

"You're not giving me any wiggle room," noted Dr. Vance.

"Well, I'm in charge, so I get to do that from time to time," said Will. "Or do you feel like the vast latitudes I grant for R&D are too constricting for you?"

Dr. Vance looked angrily at Will. "She's not cut out for the action. She book smart but not field smart. I don't want her to get hurt and I also don't want her to be a liability to the top agents you have working on Team 1. All she cares about is the puzzle, Will. I can't tell you what she'll do when she's suddenly under fire."

"We're going to find out," said Will. "I'm sorry. All I can say is that she'll be in good hands."

Dr. Vance grimaced and looked out across the large lab. It was getting late so some of the scientists had left for the day but Robin was still working quietly at the computer hooked up to the volumetric printer. She never seemed to get tired. "I hope so," said Dr. Vance quietly.

--

Shego stealthily re-entered her and Kim's apartment set up in the Agency building. It was hardly something she needed to think about anymore, years of training and experience had trained her to move silently almost naturally so it was far from unusual for her to slip inside the door and close it with an almost inaudible click behind her. When she looked up afterwards and saw Kim sitting on the two person couch in the small living space outside the bedroom she suddenly felt guilty, like she'd been caught doing something she felt was wrong. It irritated her.

Kim, conversely, looked guilty, which immediately washed Shego's irritation in confusion. "Hey Shego," said Kim, softly.

"Hey," said Shego, impassively.

Then they sat, decidedly not looking at each other, for almost five minutes. It was a peculiar silence, one peppered with a variety of unsaid things that hung in the air like ripe fruit waiting to be spoken. Finally it was Shego who picked a particularly low hanging topic to end the silence.

"I'm going to bed," she said simply, then started to walk away.

"I'm sorry," said Kim before Shego could escape from the room of unsaid fruit. "I know this is far beyond anything you would have signed up for."

Shego looked down, sighing. She wasn't really upset with Kim, apart from her usual level of irritation about the teen hero. She hadn't been upset with her before either, really. She'd just transferred her own frustrations about what she was planning on doing onto what had always been an easy target for her. Kim shouldn't be apologizing, she rationalized. It was Shego's bee in her proverbial bonnet.

There was an easy way to end this stalemate of guilty looks and statements, and Shego was never one to back away from an easy end. "I'm not going to come with you when you leave," she said. She turned and looked plainly at Kim, trying not to seem evasive.

Kim's mouth dropped open and she stared. "W-what?"

"Will... the Agency is able to set up people to live in this world if they don't have a way to get home," explained Shego. "They'll get me a place to stay and give me time to find out... what I want to do. Will's already agreed to let me stay."

This didn't help Kim's devastated appearance any. "Why?" she asked, unsure of how to phrase her questions any other way.

"Because it's not worth it," said Shego, slightly shaking her head. "We have a harder and harder time in each world we go to, and who knows if we're anywhere closer to that drill. We could search forever and never find it."

"Or it could be in the next world we go to," posited Kim.

Shego's lips made a thin line as she carefully considered her words. "There's nothing in that world that's worth all this trouble. This is a normal enough world. It's good enough for me. You can keep looking for home if you want, but leave me out." She nodded to herself and turned towards the bedroom again.

"Too hard? That's it?" said Kim.

Shego paused by the doorway. She glanced back slightly, so that Kim could only see one weary eye. "Let's... not do this, okay?" Without waiting for a response she disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Kim behind alone.

--

"Um... Shego?"

The elder Shego turned as she was snapping together her black nylon field vest filled with pouches to look at the slightly younger Dr. Robin Chen behind her. She was putting on her own vest and had managed to get her latches tangled. Shego smiled and shook her head. "Here, let me," she said, drawing near.

"Thank you," said Robin as Shego started to untie the mess. "Team 11 equipment vests are slightly different."

"More spanners and rulers?" asked Shego jokingly.

Robin looked down at the series of bulging pouches along her left side. "Fewer explosives," she said, sighing.

"Don't worry," Shego said, finally undoing the knot and starting to snap together the two sides of the vest. "You won't need them. This will go smooth as silk and no one will ever know we were their."

"I'm... not really a stealth person," said Robin uneasily.

"Just follow my lead, I'll keep you safe. There you go." Shego pulled the straps to tighten the latches and patted Robin on the back. "Nothing to it." She turned away again and finished latching together her own vest. Afterwards she put a fresh radio in her pocket and snapped a rifle onto the sling under her arm woven into the vest. She checked the clip and the safety before letting it hang at her side.

"I have to ask," Robin suddenly said as Shego double checked her gear. "Why me?"

"I know you," shrugged Shego. "I'm not on good terms with most of the Wades. I'd rather work with someone I'm already friendly with."

"The needs of the mission should take precedence over personality issues," chided Robin before she could stop herself. "Sorry," she added, flushing.

Shego smiled again. "I know that too. And I'll need your talents as well."

"Oh."

"As long as I'm listing things I know," continued Shego. "I know you're not used to this sort of work. Your comfort zone is clearly in the lab, and I respect that. But you're a quick learner, and I know you'll get the hang of this faster than you think."

"I'd rather not, to be honest," said Robin. "I like my lab."

"Aw, come on, you gotta stretch your legs if you ever hope to grow," said Shego. "You ready?"

Robin looked down at herself. "Not really. But I am fully dressed now."

"Come on," said Shego.

The two left the locker room and quickly moved through the corridor into the IDM room. Will was standing at one of the gate consoles while Gordon from Team 3 was at the embarkation room door. The rest of the room was empty.

"Wow, I didn't know it ever got this empty here," said Shego looking around.

"Between shifts, like I mentioned earlier," said Will. "I also called away several of the interim technicians so we have as few witnesses as possible. Gorton will open the embarkation room door and wipe the security logs when we're all done."

"Very clandestine," Shego nodded appreciatively. "I like it."

"I don't," Robin said hesitantly. "Rules exist for a reason."

"I wrote those rules, so I can break them if the circumstances are right," said Will. "We don't have a lot of time, though, so if you ladies can head into the embarkation room."

Shego nodded and walked towards Gordon, who was standing casually by the double doors. "Late night?" she commented.

"You know it's a round-the-clock party here," smiled Gordon. He turned and entered in his passcode to open the doors. The light above the entryway flashed green once and the doors slid apart, revealing the embarkation room, directly beneath the IDM. Sitting in the room on a table to one side was a small, squarish device beside a slim, black backpack.

Shego walked up to the table cautiously and picked up the square device. It had a keypad and a screen on as well as a speaker and microphone embedded, resembling a cell phone. Shego pressed a button on the keypad and the screen lit up showing a menu with several options including a top one that read 'Activate.' At the top right hand side of the screen was a small battery icon beside bold text that read "100 - 00:00:00 Remaining."

Will's voice crackled through a speaker in the embarkation room. "That'll be your gate dialer," he said. "It's already set to follow the void trail left by the northernmost beam. Just activate it and it'll open a gateway to the next world in line with its path."

"Sounds straightforward," said Shego.

"What's the backpack for?" asked Robin, looking at the bag she was certain she was going to be asked to carry.

"The battery in the gate dialer can only handle one trip before it has to recharge," explained Will. "We want you to move a little quicker than that. The pack has enough charge for three jumps before dying."

"How do we recharge the pack?" asked Robin.

"You can't," said Will. "So you can dispose of it once you use all three charges. The Wades made it as basic as possible and still be able to power the gate generator, that's why it's so big."

"Why would they do that?" asked Robin, lifting it experimentally.

"So we don't end up inadvertently advancing the technology level of whatever world we dump it in," said Shego as she pocketed the gate generator. She paused and looked over at Will. "Weren't you making this for the Kim and Shego that we yanked from 233?"

"Our need is greater right now," said Will quickly.

"Riiight," said Shego.

"We only have a few minutes to finish this up, sir," said Gordon at the doorway.

"Right, button them up," nodded Will.

Gordon shut the large doors, sealing Robin and Shego in the embarkation room. Shego lifted the battery backpack and tossed it over her shoulder. She pulled the straps tight as she looked up at Robin and noticed her look.

"You didn't really think I was going to make you carry this thing did you?" asked Shego.

"I... uh..."

"You guys must really trade some terrible stories about us field teams," smirked Shego. She turned to look out the window into the IDM room. Will was standing outside by the main control panel and staring back in. Shego gave him a thumbs up.

The speaker in the room crackled briefly. "Gate activation in ten."

"You ever gate to a world without a stabilizer on the other end?" asked Shego.

"No," said Robin. "Why? Is it different?"

"Five seconds."

"Uh... nah, you know, it doesn't matter," said Shego nodding. "No different."

Robin sighed. "You're lying."

"Really doesn't make a difference at this point," said Shego.

The speaker crackled again. "Gate activation."

The room sizzled with energy causing Robin's hair to stand on. The tingling on her skin surged and suddenly a blade of silvery light stabbed down from the ceiling then dilated to form a shimmering oblong pool of blue-white energy. Robin stepped back slightly from the gate and bumped into Shego who had come up behind her.

Shego put a hand on her shoulder. "Easy there, nothing to worry about."

"I know," nodded Robin, breathing deliberately. "I've done this a hundred times before."

"That's right and it's going to be same this time. No one's going to be shooting at us when get through, we'll just gate out and find a place to hide."

Robin nodded and then forced herself to put one foot in front of the other, building speed until she jumped into the gate. Immediately she felt like a million tiny hands were grabbing and lifting her and she soared through the void bridge. The colorful light around her pulsed and flowed smoothly like water. She felt like she was traveling at a million miles an hour as a distant speck of light grew in size as it neared.

In an instant, however, Shego was there beside her and quickly moving to get ahead of her. Her face had lost the jovial quality it had in the embarkation room and was now completely serious and almost scary. Her hands were balled like fists, ready for some action that Robin could only speculate on. With a move like a fish in water Shego surged ahead and disappeared into the approaching light. Robin, unsure of exactly how Shego was controlling her movement in the void bridge, waited the extra few seconds to arrive at the gateway naturally.

As she passed through the brilliant light the world snapped sharply into focus around her, immediately switching from the bright liquid to the grim and shadowed reality of a new world. She returned to the speed she was moving at when she had first jumped into the entry gateway and stretched her legs out to land gracefully, taking a few extra steps to slow her speed.

Robin smiled. She looked over to Shego with a smile. "That wasn't so..." her smile faded.

Shego's hands were glowing with great balls of green fire casting eerie emerald shadows across her already pale skin, but her eyes, Robin noted, were wide and unmoving. She was stunned or scared into stillness and Robin followed her line of sight forward until she saw... oh.

"Shit," Shego said.


	8. Part 5: WAR OF THE WORLDS 3 of 3

--

**PART V: War of the Worlds (3/3)**

--

The younger Shego stirred in her sleep restlessly. Her dreams were filled with scenes of fire, torture, and the psychotic leers of people she thought she knew well. A world was bathed in flames, green flames, and she was standing above it all, making the fire dance in parades for her enjoyment. Then like a candle in the breeze, it was all suddenly snuffed out by a great, gloved hand that closed over the entire world and crushed it in its palm. The hand then opened and scattered the remnants to the breeze while an uneasy voice cackled in the night.

Breaking through the veil of nightmares and dreams, Shego slowly rose to consciousness. The ceiling and dull light of the bedroom came gradually into focus followed by the rest of her senses. She could see the small lines of light across the ceiling from the gabs in the blinds, smell the slight burning odor from the radiator fighting off the spring nighttime chill, hear the sounds of people breathing, feel the body pressed against her, taste--

Shego's eyes rapidly widened and she nearly leapt to the ceiling in her leap to get out of the bed. She stared back at where she had slept with panicked eyes as she saw the smaller form there, laying on top of the covers, wearily raising her head with its mop of red hair to look at Shego through bleary eyes. She was still completely clothed but that hardly made any of it better.

"What the hell?!" yelled Shego. She tried to piece together a better question but her brain was still spinning out of control. "What the hell?" she repeated, loudly, but not as loud as before.

The young Kim Possible double, Cassie, got a confused expression on her face with a furrowed brow and slightly lidded eyes. "I was lonely," she said slowly.

"What the hell?" Shego said for a third time. By now the Kim Possible from her world was raising her head from the other bed in the room. Kim looked at the scene with Shego angrily yelling at what looked like one of her double's lying in her bed. Kim tried to create a plausible scenario in her mind where this could have occurred and failed utterly. She stared in rapt attention instead.

"How did you even get in here?!" Shego yelled, feeling like she had suddenly lost control of her entire life.

"I stole a keycard from the security desk," said Cassie, motioning with her head to the nightstand where a yellow card was lying.

Shego stared, stunned. A tiny voice in her head complimented the girl on breaking in better she'd ever seen her own Kim Possible do, but that voice was quickly and summarily beaten down and torn apart by the rest of her mind. "No. No, no, you do not do that, that is..." Shego shook her head. "No! You do not cuddle up to your... uh... If you are lonely find a pet or... a Stoppable or something, but you do not come to me!" She had finally finished a sentence and wanted to feel like she was being firm and definitive but her brain was carefully unraveling inside her skull and that was making it hard to think clearly about this.

Cassie looked slightly down. "I was alone... when I'm alone I think about..." she trailed off.

Shego could sympathize, her own demons chased her relentlessly and if she could avoid them she would do anything-- No! She climbed into her bed! This was on the far extreme of not right!

"Then go to a bar!" said Shego, exasperated. "Or hang around the city or... something! Don't come to me! I'm not good company."

Cassie looked up to Shego. "I thought you might be lonely too," she said.

Shego stared blankly at the girl, then deflated. "Just... go get some breakfast or something." Cassie continued to stare at her expectantly. Shego rolled her eyes. "I'll be along in a while."

"Okay," Cassie nodded and hopped off the bed. She waved casually to Kim then skipped out of the room. A moment later the sound of the door opening and closing was heard.

Shego stood for a second then collapsed into her bed, burying her head in the sheets. This is why she was never kind to people, they started to get crazy ideas in their head.

"Were you just in bed with a version of me?" asked Kim, hesitantly.

"What the hell!?" yelled Shego into the bed in frustration.

--

Dr. Kim walked into Will Du's office to find him staring at the screen in his desk, completely unmoving. "Good Morning, Will," she said as she slipped into one of the chairs opposite the desk.

Will said nothing.

"Will?" asked Dr. Kim. She waited a second then slowly got up out of her chair and moved closer. She reached out and gently shook his shoulder.

"Yeaaggh!" Will burst as he suddenly jerked upright and looked around, blinking his eyes quickly. "Wha?" he looked up at the doctor, standing beside him. "Kim?"

Kim smiled slightly. "You alright?" she asked reaching down to gently take his hand and feel his pulse.

Will pulled his hand away and nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Sorry, I must have dozed off for a second." He blinked deliberately a few more times and looked down at his monitor. He pressed a button and the screen faded away.

"Have you been getting enough sleep?" asked Kim as she felt Will's forehead.

Will brushed her off again and motioned for her to go back to her seat. "I'm fine, really," he insisted. "I just didn't get any sleep last night, I was working on something that didn't give me the opportunity."

"You should take a break, then, and at least get a couple hours of sleep," said Kim. "Working through the night and then doing a full day afterwards is going to seriously affect your perception and judgment."

"I'm fine," Will said again. "Please, sit down. I'm going to be fine, I've done this many times before."

"Do you always fall asleep halfway through reading a report?" asked Kim, finally sitting and crossing her legs. She had an accusatory stare.

"Look, I'll take a break at lunch and catch a few minutes rest," said Will. "Happy?"

"Not particularly," said Kim, crossing her arms now. "But you're the boss."

"I'll be fine," Will said once more, apparently trying to convince himself more than Dr. Kim. "What can I do for you this morning?"

Kim reached into her pocket and pulled out a small rectangular object about two inches long and half an inch high. "Cassie's test results," she said.

"'Cassie'?" asked Will taking the rectangle and resting it in a bold white circle off to the side of his desk. The circle glowed after he put it down and then his screen in the desk came back to life.

"That's what she calls herself," said Kim. "There are several genetic diversions from the standard model for counterparts to me, so she may not actually be a Kim Possible. Maybe a sister or some close genetic relative. Or she is a Kim-type and whatever happened to their world caused some DNA mutation to occur. That's not likely though, most of the time we see that the person affected ends up a mess just a few minutes before they end up dead."

"How is she otherwise, then?" asked Will looking at the screens of medical data.

"Healthy, far as I can tell," said Kim. "Still a little low on essential minerals and vitamins but that will balance out in a day or so of good eating."

"What does she remember?" asked Will, closing the report and then copying the contents of the data drive into his records.

"Not much," sighed Kim. "We talked a bit about it, but she's either repressing the memories or was simply unconscious for most of it. She says she remembers the day before and the day after but not what happened to kill everyone. Apparently it happened nearly overnight."

"If it was the void beam, it would have been instantaneous," said Will. "But I've never heard of it doing this to a planet. Decimating the population and boiling the oceans... it's so strange. And why did she survive when everyone else died?"

"I don't know," said Kim. "There's nothing medically different from her to explain it."

Will shook his head. "Well we can't send her back, she'll die for sure. Let's have the psych team talk to her and I'll see about getting her set up in Middleton."

"One other thing," said Kim.

"Hmm?" asked Will.

"She's taking a liking to Shego," said Kim. "She clearly views her as a protector or guardian."

"Shego? Our Shego?"

Kim shook her head. "The new one. They were together when I found them and Cassie insisted that Shego stay with her."

Will laughed. "I'm sure Shego took that well."

"She did, actually," said Kim. "I'm not sure why but they get along quite well."

"You get along well with Shego," said Will. He began typing on his desk, writing up a requisition form for housing.

"Not at that age I didn't," said Kim. "But, I guess it's just how quickly they became friendly that surprised me. I've never known any Shego to be particularly kind to strangers."

"They come in all kinds," said Will, whimsically. "Thank you for your report."

Dr. Kim nodded and stood as Will continued typing up the requisition form. She waved and turned, heading to the door the office. When she reached it, it rapidly opened on its own and she had to backpedal to avoid getting hit in the chin.

Dr. Kim looked down at the form who quickly swept past and recognized her younger counterpart, the Kim they retrieved from 233. She watched, curious as Kim stormed up to Will's desk in a huff, but quickly decided that anything she would get that upset about could have collateral damage and turned away, reopening the door and slipping through.

Kim, the younger one, looked down at Will who was still typing on his desk. After a few seconds, she cleared her throat dramatically.

"Kim," said Will. "What can I do for you this morning?"

"Did you tell Shego she could stay here?" asked Kim, pointedly.

Will slowed his typing then looked up to stare into Kim's eyes. "Is she not allowed?"

Kim opened her mouth but hesitated. She hadn't meant to imply she was keeping Shego from doing anything. "O-of course she is."

"Then there's no problem," said Will, looking down again.

"Yes, there is," insisted Kim. "Because she's planning on staying."

"Is she not allowed--" started Will, but Kim cut him off.

"Yes, yes, I get it," Kim waved her hand. "But ... why did you offer it to her? You didn't ask me."

"Do you want to stay?" asked Will, looking up again.

Kim sighed. "No," she said drolly. "People will worry about me, and I have to find Ron."

"Then I don't understand what the problem is," shrugged Will. "You don't want to stay, she does, I'm setting it up for her."

"The problem is that she shouldn't," said Kim. "She... doesn't feel safe, and I get that, but you're giving her an easy out instead of making her face her fear."

"And your solution is to drag her through a dozen more worlds until she finally learns her lesson?" inquired Will.

"N-no," said Kim. "But... she's just hurt. She needs to feel strong again, and she'll get back to her old self."

"A criminal?"

"Dammit, Will, why are you twisting my words?" Kim said angrily. "Since when are you my enemy?"

Will stopped typing and gently folded his hands. "I'm not your enemy, Kim. To be fair, we've only known each other about three days so I'd like to think I'm a good acquaintance. But you just came in here and accused me of essentially stealing your friend, and I'm not quite sure what response you were expecting."

Kim looked to the side and frowned.

"She has the right to make her own choices, Kim," said Will. "Even if that choice is to take the easy way out."

Kim looked down slightly.

"And I didn't offer her anything," continued Will. "She found out on her own, probably by noticing how many duplicates we have around here. She asked for the truth and I gave it to her, then she asked me if she could stay. I did nothing to break you two up."

Will stared at Kim as she looked down and breathed slowly. "It seems you knew she was unhappy," he said. "Did you talk to her about it?"

Kim shook her head. "It's not the sort of thing she talks about."

"Then you had to see this coming," concluded Will. "Maybe not here, but eventually... people don't put up with being unhappy for long."

"She's better than that," said Kim.

"You wanted her to be better than that," said Will. "Not everyone can do what you do."

Kim slowly turned her head to look at Will. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have accused you of anything."

Will nodded and smiled slightly. "Its fine, Kim. I didn't intend to cause any trouble between you and Shego. We're still working on making your gate opener. As soon as we were done we were going to give it to you so you could be on your way."

Kim nodded. "I know. You've been a big help. I just didn't expect to keep going without Shego."

"You two weren't friends before you got sent out here," said Will.

"That doesn't change the fact that we are ... better acquaintances now," said Kim.

"Heh," Will laughed softly. "Kim's and Shego's have the most unusual relationships."

"I've depended on her more than once out there," continued Kim. "I don't know..." she trailed off.

"You don't have to leave," said Will.

"I can't just stay, I said that already," Kim answered quickly.

"Not forever," said Will. "Six months from now we'll have proper propulsion on the Argo and we'll be able to follow the trail of the dimensional drill right to the end, one jump. You can hang around until then or join one of the gate teams and we'll drop both you and Shego back home when we find it."

"Six months?" asked Kim. "I can't..."

"You think you'll get there on your own before us?" asked Will with a smirk.

Kim stared.

"You don't have to make a decision now," continued Will. "We'll still need a day or so to get the rest of the gate generator together. And, for what it's worth, I really am sorry that being here caused problems for you and Shego."

"I'll... think about it," said Kim. "Your offer."

"Please do," said Will. He smiled. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Kim sighed quietly then shook her head. "Thanks for... listening."

"My pleasure," said Will. He tapped his desk again and the screen came to life once more.

--

Shego leaned on her palm as she watched Cassie eat her breakfast in the Agency's cafeteria. The younger girl was eating pancakes again, though it was at a slightly more appropriate time of day. Shego wasn't all that hungry but had played with a grapefruit for a few minutes before giving up and pushing the bowl aside.

"You okay?" asked Cassie, putting her fork down.

"I'm not hungry," said Shego, looking away.

"You're uncomfortable," Cassie noted.

Shego looked back with a raised brow.

"Sorry," said Cassie.

"What the hell?" asked Shego, with nowhere near the volume or intensity she that spoke those words that morning. "Breaking into my room? That's just creepy."

Cassie cast her eyes down and to the side and said nothing.

Shego grumbled something then looked in the opposite direction and sighed. "I know you've been through a lot. But you're clearly a strong kid. You're better than that."

"It's the dark," said Cassie.

Shego turned slightly back towards her, but not enough to look at her.

"It reminds me of that empty planet," continued Cassie. Her voice was soft. "Where I could only count down to the day I would run out of food or water and die. Terrified of and praying to see another person again at the same time, unsure if they would come to save me... or they caused this and wanted to finish the job."

Shego looked slightly down. She remembered the dark as well. That prison cell where she was all but naked, bleeding, sitting on the cold stone floor waiting for death to claim her. Terrified that the door would open again and Drakken or Monkey Fist would come in to torture her again. Praying for release...

Shego shivered, then slowly turned back to look at Cassie. Her eyes widened when she saw her looking down and tears dripping from her face. Shego bit her lip and held her breath. Cassie looked up and Shego could see her reddening eyes. "But you saved me," she sniffled. "And brought me here where there are people and doctors and-- and I don't want to cause you trouble but every time I close my eyes I feel it again; a deep cold in the center of my chest that won't ever go away." She broke out into barely restrained sobbed and covered her face with her hands.

Shego glanced around and noticed they were attracting a little bit of attention. She stood and moved slowly around to Cassie and put an arm around her, urging her to stand. "Come on, lets get out of here," she said. Cassie stood but didn't stop her sobbing and Shego gently led her out of the cafeteria.

When they were in the quieter halls she took her aside to a small vacant lounge area with a window looking out of the building towards the rest of the Agency campus. "Shhh," Shego softly sounded as she sat Cassie down. "Listen. It's... It'll get better." She rolled her eyes at how lame that sounded.

Shego gently reached up and pulled Cassie's hands from her face to look at her. "Hey," she whispered. "That... darkness is part of you now, and it will always be a little bit uncomfortable, but it gets better. You're safe and there are people everywhere; good people who will take care of you."

Cassie looked expectantly up at Shego.

"Well, _other_ people," Shego added quickly.

"You're leaving?" asked Cassie as she rubbed her eyes.

"I'm--" Shego was at a loss for words. This was snowballing into somewhere she didn't want to be. "Not... necessarily. But -- I'm not your sister or anything, there are other people better equipped to take care of you. I'm just... er, someone who's been through something similar and I don't want to see you get hurt more."

Wait, Shego thought. That wasn't what she had meant to say. She didn't care what happened to this girl, right? She's just some bizzaro Kim-clone. It was getting to the point she couldn't trust her own mouth anymore.

"You understand?" asked Shego, unsure of what she was hoping for clarity on.

Cassie frowned. "You don't want me around anymore," she said.

"I didn't say that," Shego quickly supplied, hoping to avoid another crying session. "Though if we can avoid you showing up in my bed, that would be ideal."

"So I don't have to go?" asked Cassie.

"You... It's... not up to us, in any case," Shego struggled. "We're both stuck here for now, and when that changes we can... well, it ... will change and it will be what it is... when it is." Smooth work, Shego, she thought sardonically. "Okay?"

Cassie nodded, though whether it was from comprehension or just because it was expected at the time, Shego couldn't be sure. She had rubbed the tears away by now, though the redness in the younger girl's eyes was still obvious. Shego shook her head with a sigh.

"You look terrible," she said plainly. "Go wash up, I'll wait here."

Cassie nodded again then slowly stood up and walked off towards the restrooms. Shego took her seat and leaned her head back as she let the energy drain from her body. Somehow all this nonsense seemed more troublesome and stressful than the good old days, when she was a world renown criminal pursued doggedly by every local police as well as INTERPOL and occasionally 'teen hero Kim Possible.'

Shego cursed to herself. She was never one to plan more than a few moves in advance, anything beyond that often fell apart before you got near. But given the chaos in her life right now, it seemed like she needed one. Yes, she was planning on staying, but what was she going to do? Would the Agency just let her be a thief again? If it didn't involve travel between worlds the Agency didn't seem to care, but she shared a face with several other people they'd set up, would they get annoyed if she became a criminal in this world?

Furthermore, did she really want to go back to that? Sure it was easier than dimension hopping, but that didn't mean it was she really wanted. She looked upon her life with nostalgia because now it had changed dramatically, but what was so nostalgic about constantly being chased by police?

Freedom was her gut response, and was generally the explanation she gave for anything she did that was illegal. She didn't want to be tied down by the world's rules, and she didn't care to slowly kill her soul with the grind of a daily job. She wanted to have fun. Taking what she wanted and flipping off the world was fun. Sitting at a desk typing for 9 hours of the day was not fun. Simple equation.

Except, if she _had_ to plan, where were those lives going to? She knew where freedom led, she experienced it first hand in that world they initially went to. A dystopia. Sure she was in charge and had all the power but she had to be blind! How could that world be preferable? World domination was worthless if you let the world go to hell after conquering. She was the ruler of essentially nothing, lord of the flies.

But the soul sucking desk job was completely unappealing to her. There had to be a way to mix them, a way to get what she wanted without giving up what she cherished most. She needed a way to be free and fun and physical without having to sacrifice the future in the process. Freedom with just a few rules to guide her and keep the world safe while she had fun. Like a ... guard ... but for the world instead of some guy. A sort of --

Shego sat up with a start, her body going rigid and her heart racing at the thought that she was just about to have. Everything in her mind and heart rebelled at the next word in that stream of consciousness and she had to concentrate to keep herself from lashing out in anger. She gave that life up already, it made no sense to go back to it now. She knew it led nowhere but annoyances and impotent anger. That's what happened the first time anyway. What could possibly make it end up any differently? That life was filled with pompous, self-aggrandizing, thick headed morons who had to tell you every step along the way how much better they were than the people they fought. What hope was there for people who lived like that?

"Shego."

Shego jerked her head to the side as she suddenly felt the presence of someone standing very close to her. She looked up expecting to see Cassie but instead she saw Kim. Her Kim. The one who'd been traveling with her all this time.

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Shego, a little unnerved that she got so caught up in her own mind that she didn't hear Kim Possible of all people walk right up to her.

"Just a second," said Kim softly. "You looked lost in thought."

"I was just..." Shego shook her head. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry," Kim said. "For getting angry with you last night. And for not stopping to talk."

"Talk?" asked Shego.

"About you... what you were going through," she said. "I know it must have been ... it's unimaginable to me what happened to you in that first world. I've always felt that way. But... I didn't think you would want to talk about it. You've always seemed like a 'stiff-upper lip' type of person."

Shego slowly nodded. "I wouldn't have talked about it to you," she said. But I should have, she thought.

"I figured," said Kim. "But, I was trying to keep more from happening to you. I didn't really succeed there."

"You can't protect me," insisted Shego. "I don't want your protection."

"I know you didn't, but I felt responsible." Kim looked down. "Like I'm the one who put you through all that. I wanted to make it up to you."

"You didn't put me through this," said Shego. "Drakken's idiotic device would have blown up if you were there or not."

"But I could have stopped it," said Kim.

"No, you couldn't have," insisted Shego. "Stop trying to put this on your shoulders. We both know who's really a fault here. It's me."

"No, Shego, you're not--"

"I let Drakken build his machine, I plugged it in wrong, and I fought you to keep you from stopping Drakken; all of it by choice. _My_ choice."

"You couldn't have known," said Kim.

"I could have," said Shego. "I've known Drakken long enough to know he's trouble, but I didn't care. All the trouble he's caused. He did it because I protected him. Me. And you know where that would have led? Well, of course you do, because we went to that world. A world where I got what I wanted and ended up with just what I deserved. _Hell_."

Kim looked at Shego with wide eyes. She looked horrified. Shego nodded defiantly. She finally realized exactly who she'd been traveling with and it's left her speechless. Shego thought it was nice she could still surprise the little cheerl--

And suddenly Kim was holding her. Hugging her, actually. Shego didn't know what to do.

"It's not your fault," Kim said, holding her tightly. "I've told you before, and I'll keep telling you as long as you need to hear it."

Shego closed her eyes. For once she pushed down her tendency to shove Kim away and let herself feel the warmth of the embrace. She was strong, independent, and didn't need anyone to coddle her or compliment her. Other people needed that, weaker people. And yet...

Being independent meant being alone. Which wasn't so bad most of the time but there were others, like what Cassie explained, when the solitary coldness was crushing. Being independent meant freedom, the freedom she desired so much. But it also meant never having anyone else to rely on, never being able to relax, always being vigilant. It was tiresome. And dragged on day after endless day.

So when she opened herself up to the embrace, she let herself feel again what it was like to not be alone, and was startled to find its warmth invigorating. By letting someone else hold some of her burden, she was increasing her freedom, not limiting it. She could do more if others could watch her back when she was in danger. It was so simple she could cry for not having thought of it before. Complete independence was a cage, not an open field, a cage that needed someone else to open.

Hesitantly, Shego lifted her arms and wrapped them around Kim. She felt stupid for hugging someone randomly in the lounge of some building but ignored it. She wanted to feel supported. She wanted to feel wanted. The world can be damned, she just wanted freedom from her life, and right now, at this moment, this was it.

Eventually, though, it started to feel weird, and Shego could no longer ignore her impulse and she gently released Kim, allowing the redhead to step back slightly. She no longer looked horrified; she looked concerned, but not pitiful. And she looked slightly happy, which Shego didn't understand but didn't mind.

"Are you okay?" asked Kim, after a moment.

Shego considered the question. It was a deceptively complex thing to ask. Her answer, she decided, had to be equally cryptic. "I will be." Despite herself, she started to smile.

Kim nodded. "Will has offered to let us both hang around for a while until they finish their ship," she said. "Then we can use it to go right to the drill and then home without any of the worlds in between. I was thinking it's not a bad offer. We could relax or help the agency a bit for the next six months then grab Ron and Drakken and go home." She looked at Shego. "What do you think?"

Shego thought about it for a moment then suddenly brightened and nodded. "Whatever you think is best, I'll come with you either way."

Kim was startled. "What... I think?"

Shego nodded.

"You're not going to--" started Kim.

Shego stood up and smirked. She patted Kim on the shoulder. "This is your show. I really don't understand the whole dimensional crap, I really haven't been paying attention. You have. So you tell me what we should do. I don't mind."

Kim slowly recovered from her shock and awkwardly nodded. "Okay... then we should stay and wait for the ship."

"Alright," confirmed Shego.

"..." said Kim. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"No arguing?"

"Do you want to argue?"

"No."

"Then that's it."

Kim stared.

Shego raised an eyebrow in a sly fashion.

"Huh," said Kim, noncommittally.

Cassie returned at that moment and Shego over at her with a smile. "Are you okay?" she asked instinctually then laughed when she realized what she'd done.

Cassie nodded.

"Hi there," said Kim, looking at the suddenly confused Cassie.

"Right, you two haven't properly met yet I guess," said Shego. "Kim, this is Cassie." She looked to Cassie now. "Cassie, this is Kim." She looked to her once-rival. "My friend."

Kim, who had been looking at Cassie, suddenly looked to Shego, startled. She quickly hid her expression behind a smile and a greeting to Cassie. Shego quickly realized she could get a lot of mileage out of shocking Kim with kindness, and maybe that would be just as fun as when she got back to teasing her. Either way, things were going to change between them. She was committed to it.

--

Will Du watched over the IDM room through the window in his office. It was late again, close to midnight, and he figured he'd once again lose precious sleep tonight. This time, fortunately, there was nothing clandestine going on. The nightly off-world shipment from P3X-917 was delayed by a breakdown of their truck that then had to be repaired. They were on track again but still wouldn't be gating into the IDM until just after midnight.

Will made it a habit of always being on-site when there was a scheduled gate in, just in case something went wrong. It was a little micro-managing of him but it made him feel more at ease. Anything could come out of a dimensional gate, and he wanted to be there if something unexpected did. Unfortunately that meant every time a shipment was delayed he had to stay up late to monitor it.

Sipping his coffee, Will watched as the yawning machine operators were slowly bringing in the supplies and cargo containers to take the shipment from 917 off the campus and to their buyers. 917 was delivering precious crude oil today, which mean that there was a few people from Exxon hanging around to monitor the delivery. The Exxon corporation had supplied the oil recovery equipment free of charge to the Agency in exchange for an exclusive sales contract with them. Will could hardly care less who he supplied the oil to but his government contacts had put a lot of pressure on him to pick a 'favored' supplier.

The black gold was the real reason that Congress and the President tolerated Will Du's Trans-Dimensional Facilitation and Transportation Agency despite the enormous risk. With access to hundreds of worlds, including many branches completely devoid of human life, Will was able to promise almost limitless supplies of natural resources. He only had to make a brief reference to oil and the US government was ready to ignore almost any transgression to get it hands on the dwindling resource.

Of course, that was more than fifteen years ago, more than enough time for Congress to get used to the weekly shipments and forget what life was like before the Agency was supplying their lifeblood. They were starting to get nervous again, which was why he wasn't surprised by Ron's update earlier in the evening that Washington was poised to rush in and dominate the Agency after they heard him hint about war. Apparently in the three letters long dictionary of Congress, 'war' came a little higher on the page than 'oil.'

A knock at his door caught Will's attention and he turned to see Agent Gordon from TDF Team 3. Will waved him in and the agent came to stand beside Will, looking out the window. Gordon shook his head.

"A lot of activity for this late at night," he said.

"There have been a lot of unique things happening lately," said Will. "Though I doubt you came to state the obvious."

Gordon turned toward Will and nodded. "Yes. We've been... monitoring some military radio chatter."

"That's not a good sign," Will sighed.

"Nothing definitive, but a lot of equipment is being amassed to the base outside Middleton," said Gordon. "Could be help, could be a forceful request to stand down."

"We life in interesting times," said Will.

"I'd prefer a little less interesting, sir," said Gordon. "Any news from Washington?"

"More of the same, I'm afraid. They're not sure yet if they like us fighting a war on our own or at all. They could very well be moving to stop us."

"What do we do in that case?" asked Gordon.

Will laughed. "Pray."

A muted alert sounded from Will's computer, notifying them that a dimensional gate was opening from an off-world source. Gordon glanced once at the computer then down at the IDM as the staff was quickly running to their stations to monitor the void bridge.

Gordon frowned slightly. "Something wrong down there?" he asked.

Will checked his watch and shook his head. "They're just a little early," he said. "Well, earlier than their most recent itinerary. It seems our off-world workers need a refresher in protocol. I'll--"

Will didn't get to finish his sentence, however, because something exploding in the IDM room and blowing out all the windows -- including Will's office window -- cut him off with a rain of shattered glass.

--

Shego immediately sat up when she felt the rumble and Kim and Cassie were quick to follow suit when the secondary shaking followed. They were all in Kim and Shego's room in the living room portion of the studio and immediately went quiet to listen for more.

"You guys felt that?" asked Shego, looking to the window and hoping for rain. It was a clear night.

"Twice," said Kim.

Cassie nodded.

They were silent for another minute. Then the loud alarm sounded and they all stood with determined expressions on their faces. Kim and Shego looked at each other and nodded. Then Shego looked at Cassie.

"Stay here," she said. "We'll check it out."

Shego and Kim ran to the door then paused and turned to see Cassie behind them. "Stay--"

"Like hell," said Cassie, in a surprising burst of cheekiness. "I'm not going to be protected either."

Shego let herself laugh briefly, surprised by her own traits being exemplified by the girl, then pulled open the door. "Your choice," she said in return and ran out. Kim and Cassie quickly followed into the hall.

"Are we heading towards Will?" asked Kim as she ran alongside Shego.

"Yeah," nodded Shego. "I get the feeling he never sleeps. Let's check his office."

The trio burst through the door onto the glass skybridge then slowed as they looked up to see the cloud of smoke pouring out of the embarkation building. Off to the side they could see cars with sirens alongside military hummers heading towards the building from a barracks on the other side of the Agency campus.

"That can't be good," said Kim.

"Let's go," insist Shego as she started running again. A moment later Kim and Cassie followed.

--

Will heard ringing in his head as he tried to roll over to stand but found his body was being stopped by something and his head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. He opened his bloodshot eyes and looked around. The lights on his ceiling were alternately shattered or pockmarked with pieces of glass from the window. All of them were out, and the bright white light in the room was coming solely from the IDM outside.

He looked down to see that parts of the ceiling and his crumbled desk were covering him, pinning his chest to the ground and keeping him from rolling. Where the glass desk top was pinching his torso he could see his shirt was red and dripping onto the floor beneath him. He couldn't feel anything wrong, but a person in shock rarely does.

"Gordon!" Will shouted as some of the ringing in his head died down. He looked around to see if he could spot the form of the soldier but his point of view was blocked in several directions and the blue uniform was nowhere to be seen.

He put his hands on the desk and tried to lift it. His arms stung and he could finally feel pain across his chest as he pushed with all his might. The redness on his shirt suddenly started to spread much faster but he ignored it as the thick glass started to move. Just a few inches he needed to pull himself out from under it. Sweat beaded on his brow as he struggled to get the desk just an inch higher.

Gunfire exploded from outside the window and several shots hit the ceiling of Will's office, startling him into dropping the desk which slammed loudly back onto his body then cracked diagonally from where the near corner struck the floor. Will screamed as the pain of his shattered ribs finally reached his brain. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he tried to bear through the pain and black spots in his vision.

More gunfire sounded from below and quickly devolved into a firefight that Will hoped meant the security teams had arrived and were dealing with ... whatever it was that just came through the gate. He heaved several breaths but could almost feel his mind numbing from the pain.

"GORDON!" Will yelled again. The man had to be somewhere; he was standing right next to Will when the glass exploded. Unless he fell out, he had to be in the room. The question was where.

The sound of glass being crushed under foot caught Will's attention and he tried to whip his head around to see from where. "Gordon?" he asked again, trying to see the source of the sound which seemed to be directly behind him.

"Oh my god," a woman's voice said in shock.

"Who's there?" asked Will.

"Will?" another woman's voice shouted out. The sounds of glass cracking got faster and louder and suddenly Shego appeared in Will's vision. "Crap," Shego said looking at Will.

"What's going on? What can you see?" said Will quickly.

"You're a mess, man," said Shego, kneeling down to get a grip on the desk top.

"Not me! Outside! What's going on in the IDM room!?" yelled Will.

Cassie came over to the other side of Will as Kim walked behind Shego to the large hole that used to be a window. They were a couple stories down from the medical area, only two floors up from the floor of the IDM room. Kim peered out cautiously, perfectly aware that even if the gunfire below was not directed at her, a shot could easily go the wrong way.

She looked over the edge then quickly pulled herself back in and looked wide-eyed over at Shego.

"What is it?" asked Shego.

"What did you see?" asked Will urgently.

Kim frowned. "MFRs. A lot of them."

Shego darkened. "The nerdlinger."

"The Grand Commander?!" said Will.

"Cass, help me pick up the table," said Shego gripping the desk top with her hands. "On three. One, two, THREE!" The two girls lifted the table and slid it off Will who quickly began bleeding quickly onto the floor. Shego quickly pushed her hand into the red, wet mess on Will's chest trying to staunch the floor.

Will grit his teeth from the pain but tried to sit up anyway. Shego emphatically pushed him down again.

"Lay still," said Shego. "We need to find a doctor."

"Just cauterize it," said Will, looking intently at Shego.

Shego glared at Will. "You're an ass. You've got internal bleeding, if I stop up the surface you'll just bleed into your chest until you die."

"I'm going to die if you leave it, so just do it!" yelled Will. "Go deep."

Shego carefully raised her hand, and then slapped him. "Stop being such a martyr." She then pulled on Will shirt until it ripped and quickly tied a bandage around his chest, pulling it tight. Will yelped in pain and dug his fingers into Shego's arm as she tied the knot. "There, that'll at least slow it until we can find someone." Shego looked down at the rest of Will's body. "Looks like your leg is broken too."

"Great," Will groaned as he tried to get up on one foot.

Cassie moved some of the debris in the office then gasped. "There's someone else here," she said.

"Gordon!" Will said and tried to hobble over to Cassie. Shego quickly grabbed him and helped him over, but despite the rush, they saw there was nothing to be done when they saw him. Gordon was lying on his back with a shard of glass through his chest, his eyes staring vacantly upwards. Will shook his head and turned away. Cassie bent down and closed the soldier's eyes.

Shego, though pulled Will to the side and stared at him. "You had to know this was a possibility," she said forcefully at Will. "What's your safeguard? How do we stop them?"

"We can spike the gate from the alternate site," said Will. "It'll force it to shut down, then we can use the barrier to prevent anyone else from coming through. Be we gotta deal with what came through traditionally."

"Traditionally?" asked Kim from the window who was now peering down from a corner.

"Guns," Will said plainly.

Kim shook her head. Below, the firefight was not going well for the Agency as the MFRs, who were substantially more bulletproof than the agents, were marching forward almost unfazed by the fire. A few MFRs had fallen from enough bullets but there were at least two dozen MFRs on the floor, and only two on the ground.

"What alternate site?" asked Shego.

"There's another Agency building in Upperton," said Will. "Uses a smaller singularity as a gravity source. The original Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer is there. We just have to contact them."

Shego narrowed her eyes. "How?"

--

A few minutes later the firefight had quieted. The MFRs, still marching through the vortex, were securing the large, circular IDM room and all its entrances and exits. The long array of broken windows stretching up the inside of the building couldn't be easily patrolled so several MFRs had begun scaling them and releasing the nanites in their bodies to begin repairing the glass and closing the entry points with something stronger.

Then, apart from the distant sounds of billions of nanites chewing on glass, there was nothing but the sound of the whirling dimensional vortex. Then, a figure emerged from its swirling depths. It was a woman, or at least would easily be confused for one. She stood tall, with dark short hair, a leather coat over a blood red top, and black stiletto heels, and strode comfortably into the IDM room as if the carnage left by the firefight was her native habitat. She looked around deliberately.

She stepped equally on, around, and through the blood and bodies on the floor over to a working computer console. Her hand shimmered slightly and she placed it directly on the keyboard of the console. Tiny, silvery tendrils snuck out from her fingertips and entered the keyboard. A moment later the screen then lit up and began opening up windows and programs in rapid succession until finally a series of windows opened and connected the computer to the Agency central records database.

The woman closed her eyes as the screen displayed that a file transfer was occurring. Several silent minutes passed as the agonizingly slow connection poured data directly into the woman's viral network. Finally the transfer completed and the woman pulled her hand away from the computer and watched as the silvery lines retracted back into her skin. She smiled dangerously and then licked her lips amorously.

She then reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a handheld rectangle that was mostly occupied by a color screen. She pushed a button on the device and a few minutes later the screen showed the face of her master.

"It's true, isn't it?" said Wade, the Grand Commander, on the screen. "I can see it on your face."

"Aww, you ruined my fun," pouted Athena. "I was going to build up to it."

"Just give it to me straight," said the Commander.

"Yes, sir," nodded the woman keeping her playful smile. "This is the so called 'Agency' that's had us under house arrest for twenty years. They've been afraid of you for a loooong time. Longer than you've probably been alive."

"How is that possible?" asked Wade.

"Time travel," purred Athena. "Someone traveled back from a future where you ruled the multi-verse and told them to be afraid and keep you locked up. They didn't do a good job, though."

"Time travel," said Wade in awe. "I suspected it was possible but couldn't prove it. The barrier must have prevented us from doing that too. Hmm... I'll have to reopen that line of science."

"There's more," said Athena enticingly.

"More than the map data?" asked Wade.

"Much... MUCH more," said Athena, looking up at the IDM spinning in the center of the huge room.

"Tell me," said Wade with an evil grin.

--

Shego shuffled with Will on her shoulder into the hallway outside his office when she saw the MFRs start scaling the walls. Kim and Cassie quickly exited beside her. "Kimmie, take Will up the infirmary. I'll see about sending a message."

Kim shook her head. "No, you take him upstairs. Cassie and I will contact the alternate site."

"We don't have time to argue about this," said Shego.

"I agree," said Kim. "So don't."

"Kimmie..." started Shego.

"Oh, god, you two will fight about anything," groaned Will. He used his good leg to stand up and reach out towards Kim. "Kim, help me to the infirmary, odds are you'll be able to figure out the medical equipment better than her. Shego, the communications locker is one floor down in the equipment bay, south-east corner. The password is 7-6-2-2-9-1-1. When you contact the alternate site tell them 'Foothold Scenario.'"

Shego helped Will into Kim's arms. "Got it. Come on, Cassie."

Kim frowned at the turn of events but still looked up at Shego. "Be careful," she said.

Shego looked back meaningfully then turned and ran towards the stairs down with Cassie following behind her. Kim then looked at Will with a sour expression.

"What?" asked Will. "I'm still in charge here."

Kim rolled her eyes and began walking Will towards the stairs going up. "Tell that to Wade."

--

Cassie and Shego entered the equipment room cautiously. They hadn't seen any of the MFRs on their way to the room but that didn't mean the drones hadn't reached the area ahead of them. Quietly creeping into the room they saw that it was about fifty feet wide by a hundred a seventy feet long, lined with ten rows of lockers keeping all manner of gear from tactical vests and boots to flashlights and rope and finally motorized carts and tents. The only thing the room appeared not to have was guns, which was something Shego wished she had given the circumstances.

They walked quickly but quietly along the wall down towards the lockers at the end. Shego figured one of the clusters in the back right corner was what they were looking for and headed right for it. Cassie stayed a few steps behind her, keeping constant eye on their back.

They were about halfway down the longer wall when they heard the sudden crash of the door behind them. They both turned in time to see an MFR walk into view at the far end of the row and raise its gun.

"Look out!" yelled Shego as she pushed Cassie towards the lockers and then dove for cover. The two girls rolled out of view in different directions between the brakes in the lockers, but as Shego emerged from the other side she saw a second MFR walking down the row. As that drone began firing Shego pulled her head in and pressed her back into the side of the row of lockers, trying to keep herself from being struck by the hail of bullets on either side.

"Well, this is grand," muttered Shego as she blindly tossed a few bolts of green flame around the corner at the MFRs. It would take more than a few lucky shots to take them down as she knew from the fight in the SynerTech Tower. She needed a plan. "Cassie, are you okay?"

The sound of gunfire replied and Shego doubted she'd even hear Cassie's quiet voice if she had said anything back. Shego looked up at ceiling above the lockers. It was tall, at least fifteen feet up, but the lockers went most of the way up. Shego stretched out her leg to see if she could span the distance between the end of the row of lockers she was behind and the next set of steel boxes. She could barely reach it with the tip of her foot, which wasn't a good sign. She'd have to vault it.

Shego glanced around the corner again and had to dodge back a microsecond later to avoid getting a bullet between the eyes. Those MFRs were slow but they had fantastic aim. She kept her back pressed against the lockers and she raised herself up on her feet. She looked across the room through the lined up breaks in the lockers and didn't see Cassie anywhere. She hoped she was okay, but there was little to do about it now.

Breathing deliberately once, Shego leapt up towards the next row of lockers, planted her foot on smooth side of the row, pivoted, and then did the same on the row of lockers she had previously had her back to. Her foot slipped slightly on the smooth surface but gripped enough to let her do it again and vault back and forth between the two rows of lockers until she reached the top and threw herself up onto the top of the lockers.

Immediately the MFRs to either side of the row of lockers began aiming for her as she was visible to them and an additional MFR two rows over since she was so high up. She dashed down the tops of the lockers towards the back of the room, jumping over the gaps between the rows, before finally reaching the back wall and sliding down in front of the far row of lockers to the concrete floor again. She breathed deeply as she kept herself hidden from the MFRs and looked around.

The back lockers had been shot up pretty badly and Shego hoped that the communication locker, wherever it was, wasn't similarly damaged. She scanned the far row of lockers; hoping one of them would stand out in her eye. They all looked the same. None seemed unique enough to indicate a 'communications locker' behind it. Shego wished she'd asked for better directions.

Shego sighed and leaned against the lockers she was using for cover. It wouldn't be long before those MFRs reached the end of the room, even at their snail's pace. She had to think of how to get rid of them. She opened the locker in front of her and looked inside. Climbing gear was inside. A box of carabineers, pikes, rope, and hammers were inside. She rustled through it and pulled out a hammer and a rope... then, on consideration, she took a pair of pikes as well, and then shut the door. She looked at the equipment in her hand. Now what?

The gunfire stopped from down the row and Shego imagined the MFRs had given up shooting and were now just walking down the rows of lockers, ready to bury a few slugs in the first thing they saw that moved. She tried to think of how to use that to her advantage. She glanced once down the row of lockers to either side and saw an MFR in both rows about halfway down the room. Shego cursed to herself.

Shego looked again at the materials in her hands. She began tying the rope to the hammer and slipped the pikes under the waistband of her pants. She glanced again down the row of lockers to her side and eyed the row beside the MFR. She doubted this would work but she had to try. She quickly ducked out and flung a small fireball at the lockers beside the MFR. The ball flew down the row and struck the center locker, leaving a grapefruit sized hole in the top most door. Shego stayed behind cover for a moment as the MFR fired down the alley again. When the gunfire ceased she stepped out swinging the hammer on the end of the rope and flung it down the row of lockers at the hole. With an auditable clang she heard it strike the locker and a series of follow-up sounds meant it fell into the locker like she'd hoped.

The MFR returned to firing down the row of lockers. Shego wondered if those things ever ran out of bullets or if those stupid nanites just generated more. She gripped the rope tightly, pulling it taught around the corner, confirming the hammer had been sufficiently wedged inside the locker. She wrapped the rope down under her elbow and then, putting her foot against the locker she'd been using for cover she began pulling with all her might.

The sound of creaking metal echoed through the room as the lockers strained against Shego's pull. She redoubled her efforts all the same pulling harder and getting slightly more give from the rope. The MFR beside the row of lockers continued to fire, either because it didn't know what else to do or to try and hit the rope. Shego ignored it and pulled, feeling more creaking metal.

Finally Shego cursed then ducked out into the alley between the lockers again and threw several fireballs at the base of the row of lockers she was pulling at. The green globules of fire impacted and melted the bottom of the metal lockers, finally causing them to bed and twist. With a terrible sound the lockers finally passed the tipping point and began to fall. The MFR beneath them didn't let up on his gunfire until he was crushed beneath the falling metal, finally stopping the endless fire.

Shego sighed, which was all the time she before the other MFR suddenly turned the corner at the end of the row of lockers and was less than a foot away. Shego's mind spun as the MFR raised its gun, already firing.

Unable to get away, Shego ignited her hands and reached for the gun, hoping to melt it before it was brought to bear. She stepped forward to grab the metal which immediately began to melt under her hands. But not before one bullet tore through her thigh where she stepped up to the drone. Ignoring the piercing pain in her leg, Shego melted the rifle in the MFR's hand. Not missing a beat, however, the MFR threw the melted gun away and grabbed Shego's shoulders, lifting her off the ground and throwing her into the back of lockers opposite their fight.

Shego hit the ground hard and spat blood. She felt her vision swim for a moment but did her best to ignore it and focus her attention on the MFR who was stalking closer. Pushing herself to her feet -- and limping slightly from the pain in her leg -- Shego turned the flames in her hands up full blast and threw herself at the MFR.

The robotic man was far more massive than Shego and didn't fall at her tackle, only stumbled. Shego reached for the machine's arms and tried to burn through the fake flesh and make it to the precious hydraulics inside but the MFR was far stronger and quickly broke her grip, leaving the plastic skin only blackened and slightly melted. With a twist the MFR threw Shego again, over the row of lockers and into the wall on the end. The reinforced wall broke less of her impact than the lockers, unfortunately, and Shego saw stars as she hit the hard concrete.

Shego's head was spinning and her leg was throbbing with pain, which was not an excellent situation to be fighting in. She considered her options and pulled out the pikes she'd put in her pants. They were paltry weapons, probably less effective than her fire, but that took effort to maintain and she was starting to get tired.

The MFR stepped into the row against the wall and Shego watched him swiftly close the distance. It was reaching out with its large hands, probably preparing to crush Shego's skull. She gripped the pikes in her hands tightly. She would put up a hell of a fight first.

The MFR got within reach and was about to reach for her when suddenly a axe rose up from behind it and hacked at its skull. The MFR staggered for a moment, off balance, but that was enough time for the axe to swing again and embed itself in the MFR's neck. The metal man now spun to see Cassie standing behind him with a serious look on her face. She only gave the MFR a second to consider its options before she leapt forward, scissor-kicking him in the head and knocking it clean off, finishing the job the axe started.

In a shower of sparks the MFR collapsed to the floor in a motionless heap. Cassie dusted her hands and walked up to Shego, offering her a hand to get up off the floor.

Shego looked at her in awe. "There was a third one..." she started to say, but Cassie shook her head and motioned across her neck.

"You already..." started Shego looking over to see some sign of the third MFR's body. She looked back quizzically at Cassie. "How?"

Cassie shrugged. "Come on," she said, waving her hand at her again.

Shego took it this time and let herself be dragged to her feet. Her leg throbbed from the bullet so she steadied herself against the wall as she stared at Cassie, still amazed. After a minute or so she regained her posture and turned to look at the back of the room. She'd looked back there before and didn't see the communications locker, she wondered if Will was wrong.

The two of them moved towards the back corner. Shego stood as Cassie started checking through all the lockers to see if what they were looking for was inside.

Shego stared at the lockers, something was wrong, she was sure. What was different? Well, the lockers were a different height, she noticed, shorter than the other rows. And a different color. They appeared entirely out of place, in fact, the more Shego looked at them. She hobbled forward and opened one of the doors. The inside was filled with rope. She searched the inside of the locker but it felt normal.

She stepped back again and looked. Then she reached out for the door, gripped it hard, and pulled. The locker -- just the one she was holding -- slid forward slightly. Shego blinked. She pulled again and the locker slid out some more.

"They're not connected," said Shego to Cassie. "Help me pull them out of the way." Cassie came over and together they pulled each of the lockers out of the way, exposing another locker behind them, with a heavy metal door flush with the wall and a keypad on the front.

"Stupid," said Shego, shaking her head. She typed in the numbers Will had recited to her earlier and the door unlatched coming slightly open. Cassie stepped up and pulled the door the rest of the way revealing a computer integrated into the inside of the safe with a screen and phone beside it. Shego reached out and picked up the phone, which immediately began to ring.

--

"Please, just lay down," the nurse told to Will for probably the twentieth time. He was in the infirmary with Kim, a few on staff nurses, and the night watch doctor. While they were thankful the medical staff had not run immediately after the firefight started, Will was starting to act erratically and it was causing problems with the nurses who were conflicted about forcing the man who signed their paychecks to do anything.

Finally, Kim stormed up and held Will down forcefully. "Stop moving," Kim ordered.

"We need to find out what happened to Shego," Will insisted. "They're in the IDM room we can't just leave them there. We have to flush them out."

"_We_ are not doing anything," said Kim. She looked at Will's pale face and slowly moving eyes. He was suffering from major blood loss and the fluid bag connected to his arm wasn't going to cut it for long. "Where did that doctor go?" Kim called out.

"He's prepping the OR," said the nurse. "We're short staffed at night and we lost a few nurses who ran when the battle started."

"Well, tell him to hurry!" said Kim. She noticed that Will was no longer putting up much of a fight and she let him go. He was still breathing and slowly blinking but it looked like it was taking all his energy to do that.

"Kim..." said Will faintly.

"Shhh," said Kim. "Don't talk."

"Save them," Will insisted.

"I will," nodded Kim.

Will nodded slightly then closed his eyes. Kim quickly felt his pulse. It was weak, but still there.

The nurse soon came and did the same. "We don't have any more time," she said. "Help me bring him to the OR."

Kim nodded and helped lift will onto a gurney and held his IV bags as the nurse began wheeling him out the room. They got into the hallway when suddenly a trio of MFRs came around the bend and started marching towards them.

"Woah," Kim said pulling back on the nurse to stop her from wheeling forward. "Other way! Other way!"

The nurse saw the MFRs and began pulling the gurney backwards with Kim's help. They got several steps back before another trio of MFRs appeared behind them. Both Kim and Cassie froze and looked back and forth between the two sets of three drones closing in on them.

When the MFRs were a few steps away they slowed and stopped, standing in a circle around the nurse, Kim, and the gurney. Kim looked around, puzzled. Then she heard the loud click of heels on the tiled floor.

"Kim Possible," said a woman's voice from beyond the MFRs. "We meet again."

Kim watched as a thin woman with dark black hair walked around the MFRs and stood in an open space in the circle of drones. "Athena," said Kim, darkly.

"It hasn't been that long," said Athena. "But it seems like a lifetime ago."

"Cut the clichés," demanded Kim. "Why did you attack this world?"

"Mostly revenge," shrugged Athena. "They trapped us for twenty years without ever telling us why. The Grand Commander felt we deserved at least an audience to air our complaints about that."

"You killed all those people," said Kim. "The Agency never did that to you."

"So?" asked Athena. "What does that matter?"

Kim shook her head. "You're as sick and twisted as your creator."

Athena beamed. "Thank you."

"So what's next?" asked Kim. "Going to take over? Dominate the world then all the other worlds?"

"Whatever the Grand Commander wants," said Athena. "Though right now, he wants you."

Kim swallowed. "Me?"

"You have information on something we've become very interested in."

Kim frowned. "What?"

"The Dimensional Drill," smiled Athena.

"I don't know anything about it, other than it blew up," said Kim quickly.

"You know more than you think you do," said Athena. "And I know it's still out there sitting on a yellow brick road. But, we're going to spend some quality time together until I'm sure I know everything you know."

Kim breathed shallow. "Fine. But don't hurt anyone else."

Athena laughed. "What? You're bargaining?" She laughed again. "My dear, I'm going to do what I want whether you want me to or not. But it's so cute of you to think that you have a say. So... Kim Possible of you."

Kim glared at her, but Athena just grinned.

"Take her," she said, turning on her heel. "And kill the other two." She quickly walked away, her heels echoing in the halls. Two MFRs quickly stepped forward and grabbed Kim roughly, lifting her off the ground despite her struggling, and began carrying her after Athena.

"No!" yelled Kim. "You have me leave them alone! Athena! ATHENA!"

Behind her there was a shriek, then a sudden burst of gunfire, then nothing but the sound of boots against the floor. Kim couldn't turn in the vice-like grip of the MFRs but knew what had happened. She hung her head and began to cry.

--

Shego and Cassie ran into the armed unit as they returning to the area outside the IDM room. There were at least two dozen men in uniforms, soldiers as far as Shego could tell, standing out there. They quickly grabbed Shego and Cassie, despite their protests, and brought them outside the building where an even larger collection of soldiers were standing. Finally they were brought to a mobile command post and ushered inside.

The command unit contained a simple conference table with nicely adorned walls of flat panels and computers. Several people were typing rapidly away at the computers while a collection of older men were standing around the table. One of the men turned to look at Shego and Cassie were brought in.

"Shego," the blonde man said. "I'm glad you alright."

"Ron?" asked Shego as she walked up. "What, you brought the whole army with you?"

"As much as could be spared," said Ron. "This was expected to happen eventually. Unfortunately it happened an hour earlier than we were prepared for. What's going on in the inside?"

Shego sighed. "It's a bloodbath," she said without reservation. "The whole IDM room is shot up, the MFRs are killing everyone they see -- wait, why are you asking me? What about Kim and Will?"

Ron stared. "They weren't in the residential building," he said. "Are they inside the Embarkation Building?"

"Yes!" Shego said loudly. "They were heading for the infirmary. Didn't you get them?"

"The MFRs are blocking access above the 3rd floor," said Ron. "We didn't want to push forward until we had a better tactical--"

"GO GET THEM!" yelled Shego.

"It's not that easy," said Ron. "The MFRs are tougher than normal soldiers and we don't know the situation inside the IDM room. We could lose a lot of people trying to rush in when it might be better to cut our losses."

"What does that mean?" Shego narrowed her eyes. "'Cut your losses.'"

"Ahem," an older man cleared his throat and stepped forward. "General Cleotus Dobbs. What Mr. Stoppable is referring to is destroying the Embarkation Building with the enemy in it."

"Over. My. Dead. Body," Shego said viscerally. "Kim and Will are still in there and who knows how many others!"

"We do know how many others," said General Dobbs. "We have infrared scans that can show us human body heat signatures in the building. Apart from the soldiers in the lobby and second floor there are only three. There's someone on the sixth floor, the fifth floor, and in the IDM room."

"That could be Kim, Will, and a doctor," said Shego. "You can't kill them."

"Those robots are powerful fighting machines," said General Dobbs. "If they decide to march out of that building we will have to take drastic measures to contain them and there is no telling how many more will pop out of your little gate."

"None," said Shego. "The gate should be spiked, there shouldn't be any more."

"How?" asked Ron.

"There's an alternate site," said Shego. "They were able to spike the gate from there and put up the barrier to prevent anyone from entering or leaving."

"An alternate site?" asked Ron. "With a gate machine? I've never heard of this."

"Will said it's somewhere in Upperton. He had me call them and tell them to disable the gate," said Shego. "So there, there's no more coming. Just what already came through. Call off your bombers."

"What came through may already be too much," said the General.

"Fine," said Shego, pointedly. "Just give me a chance to go in and save Kimmie. If I die, then you can bomb the crap out of the place."

"That's not a very --"

"Good, we're agreed," said Shego. She turned and began limping out.

"Now, wait a minute!"

Shego ignored the call and left the trailer. She stepped down onto the pavement and looked around. A hundred soldiers out here just shooting the breeze because they're too afraid to face the scary robots. Pathetic. She turned to face the building and began moving forwards.

Cassie was beside her in an instant.

"I'm probably going to die here," said Shego. "Maybe it's best if you sit this one out."

Cassie shook her head. "I'm coming with you," she said.

"I figured you'd say that," said Shego, sighing. She put her arm around Cassie and leaned on her slightly. "At least help me walk."

Cassie nodded and helped her move towards the building. The soldiers quickly realized what was going on and stared in awe. Two girls, one injured and the other not yet seventeen were about to walk into the battle zone and face the enemy by themselves.

A soldier left his group, picked up his gun, and started to follow. Then another one. Then a third. Then more...

--

Kim struggled against the iron grip of the MFR, still crying as she yelled. "You bitch!" she screamed. "Let me go!"

"Please, Kim, you're making a scene," said Athena from the working console in the IDM room. Her silvery spindles were snaked into the keyboard again and she was quickly going through screens and files.

"I'm not going to tell you anything!" yelled Kim. "So you better kill me too!"

"That won't be productive," said Athena. She tilted her head. "It seems someone else in playing with our game. Interrupted our gateway and blocking incoming gates."

"Hah!" laughed Kim. "Not so tough after all!"

Athena smiled. "Kim, these people know more about dimensional travel than anyone else in this area of the multi-verse, and have strived to keep the tightest grip of control over it. But they had one glaring flaw to all their hard work." She pointed up at the glowing IDM above them. "Everything depends on that and the Agency keeping control of it. They tried to prepare for someone taking over this room but they couldn't really, because they could never get over their dependence on that." She laughed. "So foolish."

Athena looked back at the monitor for a moment then looked up at the IDM. "Ah, it's almost entirely self-sustaining, perfect." She raised her hand an the silvery tendrils snaked back into her fingers. "Now let's deal with you."

"I'm not telling you anything," sneered Kim.

"You still don't get it," said Athena. "You don't have a choice."

"You'll have to kill me," said Kim.

"No, I won't," Athena shook her head. She walked up to Kim and raised hand to cup the red head's face. "Such determination will be delightful to break."

Kim tried to bite Athena's hand but she quickly pulled it away before the teeth could make contact.

"Ah, and yet so primal," smiled Athena. "I'm always looking for new experiences, you know. New ways to expand, to... grow my influence and knowledge. I'm still learning after all."

"Go to hell," spat Kim.

Athena ignored her. "But you know, no matter how hard I try I just can't reach that human feeling. Somehow all my simulations and bodies just don't feel quite right. So much tweaking is needed. What I need is... a guide."

Kim practically growled at Athena, who leaned in close. "Yes, a guide, Kim Possible," said Athena. "Will you be my guide?"

"NEVER!"

"It will be fun," said Athena. She reached out and held Kim's face in her hands, this time keeping a tight grip to prevent her from breaking free. "We'll learn how to be human together."

Kim felt pricks and sharp stabs at her face under Athena's hands. She tried to shake loose.

"Just you and me, Kim," Athena said softly. "Intimate."

Kim felt something tearing at her skin and she struggled to get it to stop. Something was digging into her skull.

"One mind."

It felt like spiders dancing on her brain, prickling and poking in and around her skull. It was agony, invading her body from every direction.

"One body."

Kim couldn't stand the feeling behind her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs until her chest felt it would burst.

Instead the entrance to the IDM room exploded inwards. A flood of soldiers suddenly plowed into the room and took up cover behind consoles and panels and machinery, peeking out around them with their guns aimed at the group of four MFRs holding Kim and Athena, the latter of which almost looked as if she was kissing Kim.

"Let her go!" yelled Shego, standing in the open with her fists ablaze with green fire.

Athena then went limp and fell to the ground with a heavy metal thud, much to the surprise of Shego. She watched the still form of the robot for any sign of trickery as she spoke. "Kimmie? Are you okay?"

There was no sound for several moments and Shego eventually tore her eyes away from the lifeless body to look up at Kim. She was moving her head slowly around in a lethargic manner, her eyes looking to be rolled up into he head. Shego imagined she'd been drugged.

"Kimmie! Come back to me, now, don't care what they drugged you with," said Shego. She took a step closer to the group of MFRs and the two in the rear suddenly raised their weapons and stepped one step forward. The plethora of guards behind Shego also began aming their weapons but Shego waved them down. "Wait! Don't shoot, you'll hit Kimmie!"

"Unnggg," Kim groaned suddenly.

"Kimmie?" called out Shego, standing still so as not to provoke the MFRs.

"OOhggg... I feel weird," Kim said, slowly raising her head. She blinked several times and tried to focus on Shego. "Is that... Shego?"

"Yeah, it's me," Shego said, smiling. "We're going to rescue you, just hang tight. We'll get you free."

"Rescue?" asked Kim lethargically. She blinked several more times before focusing again on Shego. "There's no need. Release me."

The MFRs holding Kim released their grip and she fell to the ground on top of the body of Athena. Kim slowly picked herself up the and, using the MFR behind her to support her, got back to her feet. "Oh, this is so weird."

"You're telling me," said Shego, frowning. "Just... uh, come this way slowly and we'll get you out of here."

Kim looked at Shego then looked down at the body of Athena. She kneeled down and pushed the body over so it was lying on its back. She stared at the body for a few moments, considering something, then held out her arms over the body then moved the arms over her own.

"Kimmie, what are you doing?" yelled Shego nervously.

Kim then reached down and pulled the leather coat off of Athena's body with a little bit of effort. It got stuck at one point and she leaned back to pull on it so that when it finally came free it snapped back at her and she fell on her butt. She laughed at the antic afterwards.

"Okay something is definitely wrong," Shego muttered behind her to the soldiers there. "Let's try to take out the MFRs around her."

"The ricochet may hit her," warned the private behind Shego.

Kim finally got back up to her feet and swung the jacket around, putting it on. "Ah... we're the same size even, I knew we were a perfect match," she said. She held the coat against her body in a comforting manner. Then she straightened and stood proudly over the body of Athena.

"Wow, I never would have expected this," said Kim. "It's going to take me a long time to get use to it."

"What are you talking about, Kimmie?" asked Shego.

"Ohh, Kimmie's not here right now," Kim said with a smirk. "But if you leave a message with Athena, she may get back to you when she returns from oblivion."

Shego's jaw dropped. "No..."

"Oh yes," smiled Athena in Kim's body. "And this body feels oh so delicious."

"LET HER GO!" screamed Shego.

"Hah, fat chance," said Athena. She tried to walk seductively back over to the console, swinging Kim's hips a little too far to appear smooth. She pressed a button on the console and the IDM suddenly lit up brightly.

Shego shielded her eyes from the light as she stared at Athena/Kim smiling brightly beneath the IDM. An arc of blue-white light suddenly burst from the globe and created a giant swirling vortex in the room. The MFRs then walked over to the globe that contained the IDM and began to disconnect it.

"Don't you dare leave here with her!" yelled Shego.

"You heroes always think you have a say in the matter," said Athena. She slowly walked backwards towards the vortex. "But you never really do."

"Athena!" growled Shego.

The IDM suddenly lurched from its base and began to roll off its pedestal. The band of four MFRs caught it and slowly walked towards the wide vortex.

"If you want to stop me, just stop me, Shego," said Athena. "I'm right here, I have no weapons, and your green magic will easily burn through this flesh and bone. Go ahead. Do it." She smiled wickedly.

Shego grit her teeth and felt tears well up in her eyes. "Please don't take her," she said softly.

The MFRs rolled the IDM through the vortex then followed after it. Athena stood before the giant tear in space-time and bowed politely towards the soldiers. "Thank you for your hospitality," she said. Then she turned and skipped through the vortex.

"GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRR!" growled Shego as she ran headlong towards the vortex as fast as she could, closing the distance in a moment before leaping for the open maw... and watching it close a microsecond before she reached it. She landed on a pile of broken computers and debris from broken walls. Then she lit her fists up and began pounding on the pile and the floor, smashing everything around her in fury and tears.

Then a minute later, another vortex opened, a smaller one, and a woman came flying out of the center of the maw and landed on the ground near to Shego's tantrum. The vortex closed as quickly as it opened behind her.

The woman slowly picked herself up and looked around, locked eyes with Shego who was looking at her with an indecipherable expression. The woman stood and walked over to her. "You're Shego, right?" she said.

"Yeah," said Shego in a hoarse voice.

"I'm Dr. Robin Chen." The woman pulled a rectangular device from her pocket that looked like a PDA and handed it to Shego. Shego hesitantly held out her hand and took the device from her. On the screen was a small map that looked like the BODAR maps she'd seen in Will's office before. It showed many, many more dots on it than the ones in Will's office, and had a faint white trail from dot to dot.

Shego looked up at the woman. "What--"

"That's where you have to go," said the woman.

"Why?" asked Shego.

"Because that's the only way you'll be able to stop her. Stop the virus."

"The virus?"

"The Grand Commander's virus."

Realization dawned in Shego's eyes. "Athena."

--

TWO WEEKS LATER

Ron looked out over the slowly rebuilding IDM room from the office that once belonged to Will Du. He felt terrible sitting here, in a office he never wanted, replacing a man he felt he never should have. Doing a job he never asked for.

"It'll be okay, Ron," said Dr. Kim sitting on the edge of the desk beside him. "You'll do fine."

"I'm not sure anyone should do this," said Ron. "Look at the trouble it's brought us. The death it has wrought."

"Someone has to," said Kim. "Why not us? That's always been my belief."

Ron smiled slightly. He took his wife's hands and held them. "I know. I just hope my best is good enough."

--

Shego strapped on the vest and the belt full of supplies. For once she was going to go into this properly prepared. Too many weeks of traveling by scrapping together anything she could find, finding money where they could, staying in the worst motels in existence. She was done with that. This was no longer going to be an accident. This was a mission. A mission to save Kim.

And possibly the world. Or many worlds.

Cassie pulled her vest tight and began lacing up her boots. Shego looked at her sadly. "You still sure you want to come along?" asked Shego, knowing the answer already.

Cassie nodded.

Shego sighed. She came over and sat down beside Cassie. "It would kill me if you..." she couldn't even finish the thought. How this girl wormed her way into her life in only two weeks more closely than Kim ever did was completely beyond her comprehension. She didn't really know much about the girl, other than her slavish devotion to her and the strange way she made her feel better when she was around.

Cassie patted Shego on the shoulder and gave her a kind, friendly look. She would be there, she wouldn't die, was what the look said. And Shego could believe it somehow.

Shego stood and nodded. "Let's go."

--

Ron stood in the embarkation room with Shego, Cassie, and Dr. Kim. He was handing over a few pouches filled with precious metals. "These should help you out with your currency problems. Cash, we've found, is not universal but you should be able to sell these."

Shego nodded and pushed the pouches into her bag.

"Replenish your medical supplies if you use them," said Dr. Kim. "But I hope you don't have to."

Shego nodded and looked up to Ron and Kim. "Listen," she said. "Thank you. For everything you've done for us. I don't say that... well, ever, but I should."

"I'm sorry that Kim got caught up in trouble with our world," said Ron. "As soon as we finish the Argo, we'll be out there to help." He hesitated. "It's still not too late, you know, you could stay until we finish..."

Shego was already shaking her head. "The map says I have about two dozen jumps to get where your Shego was, that's probably a month, month-and-a-half of travel. I can get there way ahead of the Argo at this point. I can't wait any longer."

Ron nodded. "I understand."

"Did Dr. Chen ever say anything else about what happened to Shego?" asked Shego.

Dr. Kim shook her head. "No, she says she can't say anything. I don't know why and she won't tell us why. I hope... someday that you can."

"If I find her, I'll bring her back," said Shego.

Dr. Kim looked somewhat sad but then smiled. "Thank you."

Shego looked to Ron. "We should get going."

Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out the rectangular device. It'd been polished and repaired from when Robin brought it back, hoping to last the entire trip to wherever it was Shego needed to go. "It's programmed to follow the trail left by Shego. No need to set a destination, it'll automatically take you forward. Remember, one trip per day, it needs 24 hours to recharge."

"I remember," said Shego.

"And be careful with it," said Ron.

"Yes, Dad," Shego said drolly.

"Fine, fine," said Ron. "Good luck."

"Safe travels," said Dr. Kim.

Shego nodded.

Dr. Kim and Ron filed out of the embarkation room and closed the door behind them. Shego pressed the button on the rectangular device and in an instant a blue-white vortex of energy appeared. She and Cassie stared into it.

Cassie looked up at Shego who appeared just a little nervous. She reached over and held Shego's hand.

Shego looked down at her hand, then up at Cassie.

"We'll get her back," said Cassie.

Shego looked surprised then calmed and turned back to the vortex. "We will."

Cassie stepped forward, gently pulling Shego along until both were swept up in the vortex that closed behind them.

Outside the embarkation room, Ron and Dr. Kim watched as they left then turned away. There was much to do, repairing the IDM room was only part of it, as they were without an IDM to put in it. Then there was the matter of finding a place for all the US military troops that were now residents of the campus. And the integration of the generals and--

Kim and Ron paused and then suddenly turned back to see a girl standing behind them. She was short, with long brown hair tied in a pony-tail and wearing a uniform of colored in black and gray with a green trim. She stared impassively up at them.

"Fayt?" Ron said impulsively.

The girl sighed. Ron Stoppables always recognized her for some reason, even if they'd never met her before. It was such a pain.

"You know her?" asked Kim, confused.

"I... think so?" said Ron. "I'm not sure how... or why."

"It doesn't matter," said Fayt. "What matters is that this is the biggest mess I've seen you fools make in like... _ever_."

Ron blinked. "Um, what?"

"Four worlds? Seriously? Do you know how hard it is for to fix four worlds at the same time?" asked Fayt, putting her hands on her hips. "I'll be lucky if my brain doesn't come shooting out of my nose when I'm done."

Ron's jaw had gone slack by now and Kim's eyes probably couldn't have gotten any wider.

"Who are you, again?" asked Kim.

"At least you didn't invite them to come back," said Fayt, rubbing her temple.

"How did you get in here?" asked Ron.

"The same way I always do," Fayt explained as if she were talking to a child. "From right angles to reality. You wrote it, after all."

Ron's face suddenly flashed with recognition. "Oh ... y-you're!"

"_Nobody_," said Fayt in a strange way.

"No! No, no, you're... you're..." but the light in Ron's eyes had started to fade already and in a moment he blinked and looked around. "What... what was I saying?"

Dr. Kim looked at him and shrugged. "I don't think you were saying anything."

"Oh," said Ron, confused. This was a natural state for him, so he quickly regained his composure. "Well, I guess we need to set up some interviews for the general. He wants to 'get to know' the staff." Ron rolled his eyes.

Dr. Kim sighed. "Sure he does, and next he's going to replace my field nurses with MASH."

Ron shook his head but smiled as they walked out of the IDM room. It would be tough, the next few months, but they would face it together.

Just like they did every problem.

--

END of BOOK I.

--


End file.
